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Grenfell fire: 100% failure rate after cladding tested on 75 blocks - as it happened

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 Updated 
Andrew Sparrow and
Mon 26 Jun 2017 14.25 EDTFirst published on Mon 26 Jun 2017 04.13 EDT
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Javid told MPs that those Grenfell Tower victims whose immigration statuses are unclear should be treated “more favourably” after a question from Labour’s Jess Phillips.

Having worked with people with a very fragile immigration status who have suffered trauma, until people have a stable immigration status they will never feel safe to speak out.

So in [Javid] asking what we can do, we could give those people a message today that we will fast-track them for indefinite leave to remain with access to public funds, in order they can go through the inquiry without fear or favour. Will you agree to that?

The communities secretary replied:

I think it’s a very important point that those people, those victims who feel they have some challenges with their immigration status, I think we can show appropriate sensitivity and treat them more favourably.

Javid came under pressure to clarify what funding the government would give to councils to pay for urgent improvements to fire safety in tower blocks. Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said:

When tower blocks are found to fail fire safety tests, and when urgent mitigating measures cannot be done to make those buildings safe, what the minister has said today to the House doesn’t reassure many members, because local authorities and housing associations will need funding support to help them provide new housing for residents affected.

What considerations have been given to declaring this a civil emergency, so that funds from central government can be provided to housing association and local authorities trying to re-house local residents?

The Green party’s co-leader, Caroline Lucas, also urged Javid to clarify what councils would be able to claim back from the government. Replying to her, Javid said:

Whether it’s the removing of cladding or it’s taking other necessary action to improve fire safety of buildings, or rehousing costs, then local authorities should get on with those.

Just as Camden, the first action wasn’t to think about how exactly are we going to fund this, they rightly got on with the action, made those tenants, and then government will work with those local authorities where they cannot afford it to provide necessary support.

He earlier said many local authorities had built up reserves to deal with emergencies. And he confirmed to MPs that he expected people displaced by the Grenfell Tower disaster to be rehoused in temporary accommodation within three weeks and then to have new permanent accommodation “within months”.

Javid said that 373 hotel rooms are occupied by 153 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk, and 220 households from the cordoned area. He said that all have had housing assessments, except for those who wanted to delay “through choice”.

We’ve had a number of instances, for example, where quite understandably some of the families have first asked for something in Kensington as close as possible to where they lived but then when they have been shown the home and they see the tower and what is left of it, they have changed their minds and quite understandably said, ‘look, we would like to have some other options’.

So we are working with them at their pace and our commitment is they will all be made offers in the three weeks but it isn’t certainly necessary the case that they will all be in the temporary accommodation within three weeks because we have to respect their choice when they are made offers and if they change their mind then we want to also accommodate that.

Some families were reluctant to move into temporary accommodation as they had been told their flats in Grenfell Tower were temporary despite some living there for 17 years, Javid added.

MPs also heard that immigration concerns were forcing people affected by the Grenfell fire into sleeping rough and preventing them from coming forward.

Labour’s Emma Dent Coad, in whose constituency the disaster happened, made the claim after the prime minister said the tragedy would not be used to carry out immigration checks.

Dent Coad asked Javid to make a firm commitment that “traumatised and frightened people have no fear in coming forward”.

I’ve heard this morning, shockingly, that people who have concerns about their immigration status or lack of documentation are still not coming forward and sleeping rough.

Some have been told that they might not be eligible for housing and medical services, and may be reported to the Home Office.

Will you please make a firm commitment now and communicate widely that immigration status will not be a barrier to help for medical, housing services or they will be reported to the Home Office, and that traumatised and frightened people have no fear in coming forward?

Javid replied:

I can absolutely give you that assurance.

We have already made it clear that anyone coming forward, any information they provide either government or local government will not be used for any kind of immigration check.

It’s been put in a letter that’s been given to every family that has been affected.

If you have some further suggestions about how we can get that message out, because I think we should follow up on those, I’d be very happy to listen.

Healey also asked if it was correct that 370 households affected by the Grenfell Tower fire are still in emergency accommodation, and by what date all residents will be in a permanent new home. And he questioned why only 75 cladding tests have taken place so far - and why have they all failed.

We need from ministers a much more thorough review of fire safety in all of the country’s residential tower blocks, a total commitment to action to deal with any problems and a guarantee that government will help fund the costs.

And this applies also to other public buildings such as schools and hospitals over which doubts may hang.

Javid also confirmed that an independent expert advisory panel would be established to advise the government on any immediate steps needed on fire safety.

The shadow housing secretary, John Healey, welcomed that, but said:

[Javid] is frankly wrong to say we have a building regulation and fire safety system that many experts would claim, as he said, has served us well.

Many experts have said exactly the opposite, especially since the two coroners’ reports four years ago into previous tower block fires. So will he now act on the recommendations in those coroners’ reports?

There really should be in place a triple fire safety lock around buildings and works on them.

First, the materials must be fit for purpose and meet safety specifications. Second, fire safety systems must be in place and fire risk assessments done regularly. Third, building regulation and control must make sure the design, construction and any further works are fully safe.

Instead, the update [Javid] has given us this afternoon suggests a collapse of the system of fire safety control and checks system. It is not working, it must change.

During his Commons statement, Javid said hospitals and schools would also be tested to make sure they were not encased in combustible cladding. Downing Street said earlier that the Department of Health and Department for Education will oversee those tests.

He also said there were concerns in Whitehall that councils were not being fast enough in submitting samples for testing. Central government said it would be able to handle 100 tests per day if necessary. But, since the programme was launched last week, only 75 have been completed. Javid said:

I can inform the House that as of midday today the cladding from 75 high-rise buildings in 26 local authority areas has failed the combustibility test.

The combustibility test has three categories rated one to three and it is judged that cladding material in categories two or three does not meet the requirements for limited combustibility in building regulations.

I can also confirm to the House that, so far, on that basis, all samples of cladding tested have failed.

The fact that all samples so far have failed underlines the value of the testing programme and the vital importance of submitting samples urgently.

I am concerned about the speed at which samples are being submitted. I would urge all landlords to submit their samples immediately.

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Afternoon summary

  • Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, has told MPs that 75 tower blocks have now failed fire safety tests for cladding. That is 100% of all blocks that have been tested so far. (See 5.20pm.)

That’s all from me for today.

Thanks for the comments.

Javid says the government will contribute £1m to charities helping the families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

And he says he is setting up an independent expert advisory panel to advise the government on fire safety issues.

75 tower blocks have now failed fire safety tests for cladding, Javid says

Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, is now making a statement to MPs about the tests being carried out on cladding on tower blocks following the Grenfell Tower fire.

He says the government is now encouraging private landlords to get their cladding tested. (The current programme only covers social housing.) The government will test cladding for free, he says.

Back in the Commons Damian Green is still taking questions about the Tory/DUP deals. He has had several more questions about NHS England refusing to pay for abortions for women from Northern Ireland, and he keeps making the point he made to Stella Creasy (see 4.35pm); that this is a matter for the Northern Ireland executive.

My colleague Jessica Elgot says Green is missing the point; the recent supreme court decision was about health policy in England, not health policy in Northern Ireland, she says.

Green says @stellacreasy might want to bring up abortion with Northern Irish Assembly. It's about NHS funding for NI women in England!

— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) June 26, 2017

Reply to @TracyBrabin also misses point. Green says it's a matter for Assembly. It's not,it's about NI women having NHS abortions in England

— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) June 26, 2017

Charitably, you could say Green maybe doesn't connect questions to recent Supreme Court judgement on this, which said it was SoS decision

— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) June 26, 2017

David Cameron has used Twitter to argue that all Conservatives should support the Tory/DUP deal.

Task facing PM, given the circs, is to deliver the most stable govt possible - today's DUP deal helps achieve that. All Cons should support.

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) June 26, 2017

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