Thread by @JSimpsonjourno

I'm going to be covering this session 👇 this afternoon, looking at the Building Safety Bill. Follow me for any updates

https://twitter.com/CommonsHCLG/status/1462721449173598213

This afternoon we hear from Ken Knight, the chair of DLUHC's independent fire expert panel, and Dame Judith Hackitt, chair of post-Grenfell independent fire safety review, and now chair of Industry Safety Steering Group and board overseeing creation of Building Safety Regulator

Dame Hackitt says it is important the whole of the industry adopts new approach. Says early adopters show it is possible to make these changes but there are too many ‘hangers back’

When asked how to stop firms hanging back. Dame Hackitt says gov can do more to differentiate between those doing well and those not complying.

Says there needs to be more done in public procurement to ensure those working on public contracts comply.

On l'holders paying. Dame Judith says her position has not changed.

'Those that have bought in good faith, they shouldn’t be saddled with bills that are not their fault. Its not the job of taxpayers either.'

'There are those that failed in their duties, and they should pay.'

More from Hackitt:

'The new Building Safety Bill is about clarity of responsibility, and that has been missing for a long time.

'Currently, there is ability for everyone to point to everyone else and say it is their problem, that is at the heart of why the system has failed.'

When asked if the Building Safety Bill will always just cover high-rise buildings (>18m), Ken Knight says that he could see more buildings (<18m) that could be brought into scope, re) care homes etc.

Dame Judith says it shouldn’t be just about removing cladding in making buildings safe, says needs to look at other factors.

'What are proportionate means of mitigating risk and making buildings safe. It is all about proportionate, common sense, cost effective proposals'

Ken Knight says since Grenfell there has been a lot more work between private and local authority building control providers and bodies. Says sector needs private and public inspectors as it would boost capacity and cut down wait times that would become unacceptable, if scrapped.

Interesting Qs about building safety managers. Chair asks why competencies aren't mandated and asks, how will residents will have assurances managers will be competent?

DJ says they will need to provide regulator with building safety case and that is where regulation comes in.

Interesting. Ken Knight says fire services have been inspecting all high-rise buildings, which will be finished 'soon' and handed to Building Safety Regulator. Says 'We had no knowledge of what was high rise, and where it was.'

Pretty mental more than 4 years after G'fell.

Dame Judith Hackitt responds to whether there was a change of approach from Consolidated Advice Note 14, which stated that dangerous cladding should be removed from buildings, regardless of height. Earlier this year new advice watered down that message. This is what she said👇

When asked whether she thinks the July advice will filter through to banks etc.

Ken Knight says there was an over-assumption of risk in people interpreting the Consolidated Advice Note and hopes new advice will help reduce the concerns around these buildings. Just to point out, this is the advice given in CAN👇 Make of it what you will.

Have heard this phrase a lot but feels like the experts trying to put the genie in the bottle. Knight and Hackitt pretty aligned that the issue was response to advice and not advice itself.

If that was the case, why didn't they change it when issues first started to appear.

Also, does seem very odd to me that Hackitt is now focusing on 'proportionality' and talking about other mitigating measures such as things like sprinklers etc. If this was the case, why wasn't there a stronger gov push for these things in the years since the Grenfell Tower fire

Ok, this is really interesting. Hackitt is asked about anything she has learned from her work in Australia about their new regulatory framework. She is currently working directly with the state of Victoria on this. See next Tweet...

Says Victoria is working on a new form of project insurance that will see insurers cover whole projects rather than the individual contractors, subcontractors, designers etc. She says this will be an 'enhancement on the current system'. This is how it works👇

She says that DLUHC and those in Victoria are discussing the idea, and DLUHC is willing to learn from other places.

Knight says he hopes when the fire safety bill comes in, which requires external walls to be assessed as part of fire risk assessment, EWS will no longer be needed. Believes this will be more proportional as takes into account the whole building and will make ppl less risk averse

Ken Knight says that Consolidated Advice was never meant to be a legacy document and was just a response to the post-Grenfell environment.

Says he hopes that the new British Standard and other standards coming in 'later this year' will hopefully replace the Consolidated Advice

I know Gove has indicated that Consolidated Advice Note will go before Xmas but won't just be removed without anything to replace it.

Feels like the new British Standard around inspecting external wall systems might be just that.

Just my thoughts, not from what I have heard.

The fire service review looking at buildings will complete by end of the year but Knight does not confirm whether it assesses non-cladding fire issues, such as compartmentation breaches. Important to remember this is the 2nd attempt at a cladding audit👇 insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insigh…

Important question from the @CommonsHCLG about capacity. All good having these sweeping changes but if you have nobody to carry out, then you have a problem. Says sector needs to look at innovative ways to boost capacity, eg) finding ways to make structural eng also fire eng

@CommonsHCLG Hackitt once again seems to indicate that she wants gov intervention in ensuring that companies do do the right thing and this should be done at procurement stage.
Ken Knight says 'big beasts' are getting it but his biggest concerns are SMEs doing modification to buildings.