I have received a number of e-mails regarding Grenfell Tower.
First and foremost our thoughts must be with everyone who was affected by this terrible tragedy - those who died or lie seriously injured in hospital, the many who fled in terror from the Grenfell Tower who have lost their homes and everything they ever owned - many have also lost family, all have lost friends and neighbours. We think of all of them and all their loved ones. We also thank the emergency services, especially the fire brigade who were remarkable and brave. Many others who live next to Grenfell Tower were also profoundly affected by the fire. The generosity and kindness of the local community who came to help was overwhelming.
The Prime Minister was right to call a Public Inquiry so we that we can get to the causes of this terrible disaster and learn lessons to ensure such a dreadful event never happens again.
Firefighter numbers
The fire crew at Grenfell Tower was on the scene within six minutes, and more than 200 firefighters responded. It is thanks to their bravery and hard work that the blaze was extinguished. It is also true that the number of fire incidents has halved in the past decade, but the number of firefighters has fallen by less than 20 per cent.
It is worth noting that the Government does not recruit fire or police staff but chief officers, who are best placed to manage their resources, and to decide who to recruit and when. Indeed, some fire and rescue services are reporting an increase in the recruitment of full-time firefighters.
Due to the hard work of firefighters, fire deaths and injuries are at near historical lows. From 2004 to 2015, the number of incidents requiring fire and rescue services declined by 42 per cent.
Judicial Inquiry
On 15th June 2017, the Prime Minister announced that there would be a Public Inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower that had begun the day before.
The Lord Chancellor asked the Lord Chief Justice for a recommendation of a judge who would be best suited to the task and available to start work immediately. The Lord Chief Justice recommended Sir Martin Moore-Bick, a highly respected and hugely experienced former Court of Appeal judge and on 29th June, the PM accepted the recommendation and announced that the Inquiry will be chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is designed to ascertain the causes of the tragedy, and ensure that the appropriate lessons are learnt. A consultation opened on 5th July to establish the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry. The Chair has sought views on what the Terms of Reference for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry should cover. He wants to hear from those directly affected by the fire, or are otherwise likely to be involved in the work of the Inquiry, but is not restricting this consultation to them.
There will also be a series of meetings to listen to victims' families, survivors and others affected and take their views.
Fire safety checks and the regulation of life-critical buildings
The Government is working with local authorities, housing associations, fire and rescue services, and fire safety experts to ensure that all similar buildings are checked and that residents are assured of this.
An independent expert advisory panel has also been appointed to advise the Government on any immediate action that should be taken on fire safety.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has contacted all social landlords to identify the tall residential buildings in England, which have potentially similar cladding to Grenfell Tower. Combustibility testing is underway at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) on samples from around the country. Samples from a large number of buildings have failed this testing.
It is imperative that landlords must keep residential buildings safe for their tenants. Advice has been provided to landlords on the measures to take if the testing shows cladding material is unlikely to be compliant with current Building Regulations. The failure rate emphasises the importance of urgent testing and the Government advised all those submitting samples to put measures in place without waiting for the results first. This was advice was recommended by an independent panel of experts and included advice based on the emerging findings from the police investigation. It was also endorsed by the National Fire Chiefs Council.
The Government has also urged other owners, landlords and managers of private sector residential blocks should consider their own buildings and the testing facility has been made freely available to them. Checks are continuing to take place on wider public sector buildings, including hospitals and schools. It may well be that new regulations are required, but it is very important we get the facts and then act swiftly.
Thank you once again for contacting me. I am pleased that the Government has taken swift and robust action to ensure this terrible tragedy never happens again.