, Cabinet Secretary for
Housing and Local Government: The Grenfell Tower Inquiry was
established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire
at Grenfell Tower and to identify key lessons and recommendations
to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
The Inquiry's Phase 2 report was published on 4 September 2024.
Today the UK Government published its response to the Inquiry's
findings. Our thoughts remain with all those affected by the
tragedy, including victims, survivors, and their loved ones.
While the Inquiry's recommendations are formally addressed to the
UK Government and English bodies like the London Fire Brigade,
many of its key recommendations have equal resonance to us here
in Wales. We accept the Inquiry's findings and stand ready to
work with the UK Government, and the Governments of Scotland and
Northern Ireland, to implement the recommended reforms. This
includes recommendations on both reserved matters and where it
makes sense to take a coordinated and UK-wide approach.
I was pleased to meet with Ministers in the other three Nations
earlier this week to discuss our respective positions and next
steps. I am grateful for the constructive conversation as well as
the willingness to continue working collaboratively in our
responses to the issues identified by the Inquiry.
A great deal has already happened in Wales to respond to the
events of June 2017. There is more to do, however, with
some key activity planned for the coming months.
Having worked with the UK Government on the Building Safety Act
2022, we continue our work to drive up safety in the building
control and construction sectors. We will soon be
consulting on the next suite of secondary legislation related to
the design and construction phase of building work. The
consultation will seek views on proposals related to the
construction of new higher-risk buildings, work on existing
higher-risk buildings and wider changes to the building
regulations in Wales.
Immediately after the fire in Grenfell Tower, the Fire and Rescue
Service moved to inspect all high-rise residential buildings in
Wales, to identify any issues around the use of combustible
cladding. Thankfully, that proved not to be widespread
here. Nevertheless, the three Fire and Rescue Services in
Wales quickly adopted the recommendations from the Phase 1 report
of the Inquiry that were relevant. Looking ahead, the Welsh
Government welcomes and supports the Inquiry's recommendation to
establish a College of Fire, to drive up standards of competence
and conduct in the sector. There have been frequent
concerns about this across the UK in recent years, and I look
forward to working with my counterparts in the other UK
Governments to implement this recommendation.
To provide a clear strategic direction for resilience in Wales,
the Welsh Government is developing, with local and government
partners, a new Wales Resilience Framework, which will be
published later in the spring. This will draw significantly
on the lessons identified from incidents and inquiries, including
the Grenfell Inquiry.
Finally, our priority Building Safety programme continues at
pace. We remain focused on both ensuring the swift
remediation of at-risk buildings and the reform of broader
processes and systems, including through the introduction of the
Building Safety (Wales) Bill later this year. The planned
legislation specifically addresses a number of the
recommendations that have been made by the Inquiry. Our
regime will empower residents with enhanced rights, clear routes
of redress and a stronger voice in matters that affect their
homes.
I will keep Members updated as this priority programme of work
progresses.
