Grenfell Fire Statement

:00:12. > :00:17.Welcome to BBC Parliament's live coverage of the House of Commons.

:00:18. > :00:21.The Prime Minister will make a statement on the Grenfell Tower

:00:22. > :00:26.disaster in the few minutes. At least 79 people are thought to have

:00:27. > :00:30.been killed. The Home Secretary Amber Rudd will then make a

:00:31. > :00:34.statement on the recent terror attacks in Manchester, London

:00:35. > :00:38.Bridge, and Finsbury Park. Andrea Leadsom will then make a statement

:00:39. > :00:47.on the forthcoming business in the chamber. The main business today is

:00:48. > :00:54.the second day of the Queen's speech. Other manifesto proposals

:00:55. > :00:57.include a means testing the winter fuel allowance has been dropped. The

:00:58. > :01:03.vote on the Queen's speech is expected next Thursday at 5pm. There

:01:04. > :01:05.will be a round-up of the Day in both Houses of Parliament at 11pm

:01:06. > :01:30.tonight. All members wishing to take their

:01:31. > :01:35.seats please come to the table. I swear by all mighty God that I will

:01:36. > :01:49.be true allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen so help me God.

:01:50. > :01:55.I affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty

:01:56. > :01:58.Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law. So

:01:59. > :03:11.help me God. Statement, the Prime Minister. With

:03:12. > :03:16.permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the disaster

:03:17. > :03:20.at Grenfell Tower. I would like to start by apologising to the Leader

:03:21. > :03:24.of the Opposition for the short notice he has had of this statement.

:03:25. > :03:27.I received an important update in the hour before making this

:03:28. > :03:31.statement which I felt was essential to bring to the attention of the

:03:32. > :03:34.House this morning. What happened in the early hours of last Wednesday

:03:35. > :03:40.morning was one of the most unimaginable tragedy is our country

:03:41. > :03:43.has seen in many years. As of this morning, 79 people have been

:03:44. > :03:47.confirmed dead or listed as missing presumed dead, and with work still

:03:48. > :03:51.ongoing to recover the bodies, sadly the death toll may rise further. We

:03:52. > :03:58.already know that many children are among the dead, and that in some

:03:59. > :04:03.cases, whole families have perished. Those who survived have lost loved

:04:04. > :04:07.ones, friends, neighbours, and in many cases, everything they own. It

:04:08. > :04:15.should never have happened. In a few moments I will say how we will

:04:16. > :04:18.discover why it did. That initial failure was then compounded by the

:04:19. > :04:23.fact that the support on the ground in the initial Iris was not good

:04:24. > :04:26.enough. As Prime Minister, I have apologised for that failure and

:04:27. > :04:33.taken responsibility for what we can to put it right. On my first visit

:04:34. > :04:34.to North Kensington, I met with the emergency services. These

:04:35. > :04:38.extraordinary men and women put their lives on the line to save

:04:39. > :04:43.others, and my first responsibility was to check they had all the

:04:44. > :04:47.resources they needed. I then visited Chelsea and Westminster

:04:48. > :04:50.Hospital, where I met some of the most seriously injured survivors. It

:04:51. > :04:55.was from that experience that I decided we had to have an emergency

:04:56. > :04:59.fund. I also met a group of residents at Kensington who I

:05:00. > :05:02.invited to come to Downing Street last weekend. I returned to

:05:03. > :05:06.Kensington last night to hear directly from them about the

:05:07. > :05:09.progress being made. What became clear very quickly is that the Royal

:05:10. > :05:13.Borough of Kensington and Chelsea could not cope, and it is right that

:05:14. > :05:17.the chief executive officer has now resigned. It is also why I set up

:05:18. > :05:21.the Grenfell Tower recovery task force, which I have been cheering

:05:22. > :05:26.personally. But this is not just about the steps we take in the first

:05:27. > :05:34.few weeks. -- which I have been chairing personally. Let me set out

:05:35. > :05:38.in detail the steps that we are taking to support the victims and

:05:39. > :05:45.rehouse those who have lost their homes. On Friday morning, the

:05:46. > :05:55.Government established a central command centre. On the half of the

:05:56. > :06:01.whole House, I want to thank the team for all the work they are

:06:02. > :06:08.doing. -- on behalf. I also want to pay to beat the fantastic response

:06:09. > :06:11.from London boroughs, as well as the Mayor of London, and leading figures

:06:12. > :06:17.from a number of councils outside London. I want to thank the army of

:06:18. > :06:21.volunteers who stepped in to provide shelter, sustenance, comfort and

:06:22. > :06:25.practical support, and I want to thank my Communities Secretary and

:06:26. > :06:28.the ministers for housing and planning, the Minister for London,

:06:29. > :06:33.and the Minister for policing and the Fire Service for the work they

:06:34. > :06:36.have been doing. There are currently around 600 people working on the

:06:37. > :06:41.site and then the immediate area who are working to provide support to

:06:42. > :06:45.the victims. A sports centre has been transformed into an emergency

:06:46. > :06:49.committee hub, staffed by 40 officials from six Government

:06:50. > :06:52.departments. They are ensuring that people have essential documents like

:06:53. > :06:56.driving licences and passports that are fundamental to carrying on with

:06:57. > :07:02.their lives. They have also been joined by experts from transport for

:07:03. > :07:06.London, citizens advice and the Red Cross, NHS mental health staff, and

:07:07. > :07:12.AGP. Anyone affected by the police can walk in and access the support

:07:13. > :07:19.they need, and so far there have been over 700 visits to the centre.

:07:20. > :07:24.The victim support unit has an emergency helpline which provides a

:07:25. > :07:27.single point of contact for victims who need to deal with multiple

:07:28. > :07:32.Government services in the way of the disaster. Each family whose home

:07:33. > :07:35.was destroyed has received a ?5,000 down payment from the emergency fund

:07:36. > :07:39.to buy food, clothes, and other essentials. We are working to ensure

:07:40. > :07:48.that everyone gets the money they are untitled two. Additional adults

:07:49. > :07:58.over 16 in these houses are being paid ?500 in cash. As of midday on

:07:59. > :08:03.Wednesday, we had made payments of over ?700,000. It is absolutely

:08:04. > :08:07.essential, Mr Speaker, that people understand they can keep the money

:08:08. > :08:12.they receive. These grants are not loans, and they will not be expected

:08:13. > :08:16.to repay a single penny. Neither are the waiving any legal rights as a

:08:17. > :08:23.result of accepting this financial help. The payments will be

:08:24. > :08:27.disregarded for means tested welfare payments, so nobody in receipt of

:08:28. > :08:30.benefits will see their benefits cut to the except emergency support. And

:08:31. > :08:35.I would like to reassure people that we will not use this tragic incident

:08:36. > :08:42.as a reason to carry out immigration checks on those involved or on those

:08:43. > :08:45.providing vital information to identify victims are assisting with

:08:46. > :08:48.the criminal investigation. We will make sure that all victims,

:08:49. > :08:52.irrespective of their immigration status, will be able to access the

:08:53. > :08:56.services they need including health care and accommodation. In terms of

:08:57. > :09:01.local schools, Kensington Aldridge Academy, the school next door to the

:09:02. > :09:06.tower, remains closed. Always pupils have already been accommodated at

:09:07. > :09:11.other schools in the area. The Department for Education is ensuring

:09:12. > :09:15.that children who are sitting there GCSEs receive an appropriate exam

:09:16. > :09:20.dispensation. Counselling has been offered to local schoolchildren and

:09:21. > :09:26.two teachers affected by the fire. Turning to the housing, 151 homes

:09:27. > :09:30.were destroyed in the fire, most in the tower itself, but also several

:09:31. > :09:34.in the immediate facility. All those who have lost their homes have been

:09:35. > :09:37.offered emergency Hotel accommodation and all will be

:09:38. > :09:41.offered the housing within three weeks. Already, 164 suitable

:09:42. > :09:45.properties have been identified, and they are being checked and made

:09:46. > :09:50.ready for people to move into. In the longer term, everyone who's home

:09:51. > :09:56.was destroyed will be guaranteed a new home on the same terms as those

:09:57. > :10:01.lost. 68 of those will be in a new low-rise block which has just been

:10:02. > :10:04.built. The developer has generously offered to turn over the entire

:10:05. > :10:12.block at cost price. Contractors are on site now working 20 47 to ensure

:10:13. > :10:20.that the first families can move in as soon as possible. -- are working

:10:21. > :10:25.24/7. Emergency hotel accommodation is available for everyone who does

:10:26. > :10:29.not want to maintain in a damaged property, and over 100 hotel rooms

:10:30. > :10:32.have already been provided. We are also putting in place practical

:10:33. > :10:37.support to help accelerate necessary repairs and yesterday drew on

:10:38. > :10:41.support from the army to assist with this. Some survivors have said they

:10:42. > :10:45.want to leave the local area, and we will of course support that and help

:10:46. > :10:50.them to find a home elsewhere, but I want to be absolutely clear, nobody

:10:51. > :10:53.is forced to move somewhere they do not want to go. And if any

:10:54. > :10:58.honourable member thinks they know of someone being treated in this

:10:59. > :11:03.way, they should contract -- contact my office in Downing Street with the

:11:04. > :11:06.details. We quickly decided there had to be an independent public

:11:07. > :11:12.enquiry as the scale of the disaster became clear. As I said to the House

:11:13. > :11:16.yesterday, it will be chaired by a judge to discover who was

:11:17. > :11:20.responsible and to provide justice for the victims and their families

:11:21. > :11:25.who suffered so terribly. All of those with an interest including

:11:26. > :11:32.victims and their families will be consulted and we will provide help

:11:33. > :11:37.for those affected. It became clear that they want support to come

:11:38. > :11:39.together as a group, to have their voices heard, and the Government

:11:40. > :11:45.will play its part in helping them to do so. For too long, residents

:11:46. > :11:49.have been overlooked and ignored, but we will ensure that they are

:11:50. > :11:53.involved in every step of this process. No stone will be left

:11:54. > :12:00.unturned in this enquiry, and for any guilty parties there will be

:12:01. > :12:06.nowhere to hide. I expect the chair of the enquiry will want to

:12:07. > :12:12.I know many others living in tall residential buildings will have

:12:13. > :12:15.concerns about safety after what happened at Grenfell Tower. All

:12:16. > :12:20.social landlords have been instructed to carry out additional

:12:21. > :12:25.safety checks on powered blocks and ensure appropriate measures are in

:12:26. > :12:29.place -- tower blocks. This is being done in cooperation with local Fire

:12:30. > :12:37.And Rescue Services. We have also taken steps to make private

:12:38. > :12:41.landlords aware. The House should be careful and speculating what caused

:12:42. > :12:44.the fire but as a precaution the Government has arranged to test

:12:45. > :12:50.cladding in all relevant tower blocks. Before I came to the

:12:51. > :12:54.Chamber, I was informed a number have come back as combustible. The

:12:55. > :12:59.relevant local authorities and Fire Services have been informed and as I

:13:00. > :13:02.speak they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe

:13:03. > :13:08.and to inform affected residents. Immediately after this statement,

:13:09. > :13:11.the Department for Communities and Local Government will contact any

:13:12. > :13:15.MPs Fuchs constituents are affected and the Communities Secretary will

:13:16. > :13:21.provide a further update later today -- whose constituents. We contest

:13:22. > :13:26.over 100 buildings a day and the results come in hours. I urge any

:13:27. > :13:31.landlord to send samples for testing as soon as possible. Any results

:13:32. > :13:36.will be communicated immediately to local authorities and local Fire

:13:37. > :13:40.Services. Landlords have a legal obligation to provide safe buildings

:13:41. > :13:44.and where they cannot do that, we expect alternative accommodation to

:13:45. > :13:50.be provided. We cannot and will not ask people to live in unsafe homes.

:13:51. > :13:53.It is clear the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea were not able

:13:54. > :14:00.to cope with the scale of the tragedy so we will also develop a

:14:01. > :14:04.new strategy which could include a new task force that can help at

:14:05. > :14:09.times of emergency. We must learn some of the lessons of this and

:14:10. > :14:13.previous disasters were bereaved families have not had the support

:14:14. > :14:17.they need so we will introduce an independent public advocate for

:14:18. > :14:20.public disasters, a strong independent voice for victims acting

:14:21. > :14:26.on behalf of bereaved families and supporting them at public inquests

:14:27. > :14:30.and inquiries. Mr Speaker, in the past week, a lot of remarkable

:14:31. > :14:35.people have gone above and beyond to help deal with the fire and its

:14:36. > :14:38.aftermath. First and foremost, of course, the incredible men and women

:14:39. > :14:43.of the emergency services who did so much to save so many lives. I cannot

:14:44. > :14:47.imagine the kind of bravery it takes to run into a burning building and

:14:48. > :14:52.head upstairs when any normal person would head for the exit. We have

:14:53. > :14:56.also seen sterling work from people across the public sector, teachers,

:14:57. > :15:00.nurses, staff from local authorities, civil servants, doing

:15:01. > :15:12.all they can to help. We have seen incredible acts of generosity from

:15:13. > :15:14.private businesses and the people of this great city and country have

:15:15. > :15:17.stepped up to help in any way they can, donating money, clothes, toys

:15:18. > :15:19.and food, volunteering time and so much more. Above all, I want to pay

:15:20. > :15:23.tribute to the people of Kensington, they have opened their hearts and

:15:24. > :15:27.homes to people affected, coming together and showing what a real

:15:28. > :15:30.community looks like. The selfless actions of local people and the

:15:31. > :15:37.courage and resilience of the survivors should give us all pause

:15:38. > :15:40.for thought. Right now, our focus is on supporting the victims, finding

:15:41. > :15:45.homes for those made homeless, making sure this country's housing

:15:46. > :15:50.stock is as safe as possible. As we move forward, so we must also

:15:51. > :15:54.recognise that for too long in our country and the governments of both

:15:55. > :15:58.colours, we have not given enough attention to social housing and this

:15:59. > :16:03.is a symptom of an even more fundamental issue. It should not

:16:04. > :16:06.take a disaster of this kind for us to remember there are people in

:16:07. > :16:11.Britain today living lives so far removed from those that many in

:16:12. > :16:16.Westminster enjoy. In this tower a few miles away in the heart of our

:16:17. > :16:19.great city, people live a fundamentally different life, they

:16:20. > :16:23.do not feel the state works for them and they are mistrustful of it

:16:24. > :16:28.therefore. Long after the TV cameras have gone and the world has moved

:16:29. > :16:32.on, let the legacy of this awful tragedy be that we resolve never to

:16:33. > :16:35.forget these people and instead to clear policies and thinking towards

:16:36. > :16:39.making their lives better and bringing them into the political

:16:40. > :16:42.process. It is our job as the government and I believe as a

:16:43. > :16:45.parliament to show we are listening and that we will stand up for them.

:16:46. > :16:51.That is what I am determined we should do and I commend this

:16:52. > :16:56.statement to the house. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Jeremy Corbyn.

:16:57. > :16:59.Thank you. I acknowledge the Prime Minister's apology for the late

:17:00. > :17:03.arrival of her statement to my office but I understand the reasons

:17:04. > :17:07.for it. I met with the survivors at Grenfell Tower, as have a number of

:17:08. > :17:14.colleagues in the House, and very inspiring following the NEET

:17:15. > :17:19.volunteers -- inspiring volunteers. There is grief, anger and great

:17:20. > :17:22.solidarity in that community. I hope the whole House will join with me in

:17:23. > :17:27.commending the community spirit and public support which helped so many

:17:28. > :17:32.traumatised families and the amazing response so many local people and

:17:33. > :17:37.faith groups who rushed to the scene to give clothing, food, help, and to

:17:38. > :17:42.provide an online restaurant for just about anybody who was helping

:17:43. > :17:46.with the disaster relief. Our love, condolences and solidarity goes out

:17:47. > :17:51.to those families again today and in what will be the very difficult days

:17:52. > :17:56.and weeks ahead and for many, a lifetime reliving the trauma of that

:17:57. > :18:01.dreadful night. They were, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, let

:18:02. > :18:04.down, both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand.

:18:05. > :18:13.The public inquiry must establish the extent and by whom at least 79

:18:14. > :18:17.people are dead. It is both a tragedy and an outrage because every

:18:18. > :18:23.single one of those deaths could and should have been avoided. The

:18:24. > :18:29.Grenfell Tower residents themselves have raised concerns about the lack

:18:30. > :18:33.of fire safety in the block. The action group had warned, and I

:18:34. > :18:39.quote, it is a truly terrifying thought but the action group firmly

:18:40. > :18:43.believes that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and

:18:44. > :18:49.incompetence of our landlord, the Kensington and Chelsea tenant

:18:50. > :18:54.management organisation. The Prime Minister said it is right that the

:18:55. > :18:59.CEO of Kensington and Chelsea council has now resigned, it may be,

:19:00. > :19:02.but why aren't the political leaders of Kensington and Chelsea taking

:19:03. > :19:11.responsibility as well for this dreadful event? From Hillsborough to

:19:12. > :19:15.the child sex abuse scandal, the Grenfell Tower, the pattern is

:19:16. > :19:18.consistent. Working-class voices are ignored, concerns dismissed by those

:19:19. > :19:23.in power. The Grenfell Tower residents and North Kensington

:19:24. > :19:27.community deserve answers and thousands and thousands of people

:19:28. > :19:33.living in tower blocks around the country need very urgent

:19:34. > :19:37.reassurance. Our very brave firefighters must never have to deal

:19:38. > :19:41.with such a horrific incident again. The Prime Minister is right when she

:19:42. > :19:44.talks about the bravery of firefighters running into a burning

:19:45. > :19:49.building, I have spoken to firefighters on many occasions, but

:19:50. > :19:54.they are overstretched and they are traumatised, traumatised by dealing

:19:55. > :19:57.with London Bridge, traumatised by Grenfell Tower, yet they carry on

:19:58. > :20:00.doing it, overstretched and understaffed. We need to look at the

:20:01. > :20:07.whole issue of the security of our Fire Service. Those of us, Mr

:20:08. > :20:11.Speaker, with over 30 years experience in this House will have

:20:12. > :20:15.struggled as constituency MPs under the pressure generated by an

:20:16. > :20:20.incident of the scale, but as I said yesterday, my friend, the member for

:20:21. > :20:25.Kensington, deserves praise for the tireless and diligent way she has

:20:26. > :20:32.stood up for her constituents in the short time since she was thankfully

:20:33. > :20:38.elected to the House. The public inquiry must address firstly the

:20:39. > :20:41.appalling failure of the fire alarms at Grenfell Tower which meant many

:20:42. > :20:47.residents reported they were only alerted to that fire by the screams

:20:48. > :20:54.of neighbours and young Muslim men who had broken from prayers to

:20:55. > :21:01.Ballon D'Or is to try to save lives. And -- to banging on doors to try to

:21:02. > :21:05.save lives. And whether the advice given to stay in homes was correct

:21:06. > :21:09.and what advice should be given to people living in the 4000 other

:21:10. > :21:14.tower blocks living in this country in the event of a similar disaster.

:21:15. > :21:17.Why sprinklers were not installed and whether they should be

:21:18. > :21:25.retrofitted into old tower blocks. We need urgent answers to that

:21:26. > :21:29.question. And whether the cladding was illegal, as the Chancellor has

:21:30. > :21:33.suggested, and whether it should be banned entirely and what other

:21:34. > :21:37.urgent changes should be made to building regulations. As the Prime

:21:38. > :21:42.Minister indicated in her statement, this is obviously being urgently

:21:43. > :21:45.addressed. We also need to address the fire prevention regulations

:21:46. > :21:49.including the frequency and enforcement of fire safety checks

:21:50. > :21:54.because it is my suspicion that many local authorities strapped for cash

:21:55. > :21:58.after seven years of cuts have cut back on fire testing, cut back on

:21:59. > :22:05.inspections because they simply have not got the staff to do it any more.

:22:06. > :22:08.And whether the tenant management organisation is responsive enough to

:22:09. > :22:13.their tenants and what greater powers tenants need in council,

:22:14. > :22:18.social housing or the private sector to ensure their own safety. Whether

:22:19. > :22:23.survivors and people evacuated from adjacent property were rehoused

:22:24. > :22:27.promptly and adequately. The Prime Minister has addressed some of that.

:22:28. > :22:32.I would be interested in her response to those that lived nearby

:22:33. > :22:35.who themselves are equally traumatised by the event and of

:22:36. > :22:39.course they should be rehoused within the borough and I hope there

:22:40. > :22:43.will be no increase in their rent. The inquiry must also address the

:22:44. > :22:47.resources available to the Fire and Rescue Service and whether response

:22:48. > :22:52.times and capacity are adequate for all areas of the country. The number

:22:53. > :22:58.of wards in which response time targets are not being met has

:22:59. > :23:02.increased tenfold since 2011. Lessons must be learnt in the public

:23:03. > :23:07.inquiry and they disaster that should never have happened must

:23:08. > :23:11.never happen again. The Government must delay no longer and now

:23:12. > :23:20.implement the recommendations of the 2013 inquiry report into the Lakanal

:23:21. > :23:23.House fire. The inquiry must establish whether lives could have

:23:24. > :23:28.been saved if those recommendations had been implemented in full and if

:23:29. > :23:32.the recommendations of the all-party parliamentary group had been heeded

:23:33. > :23:38.by government. Fire safety measures cannot be left to a postcode

:23:39. > :23:45.lottery. I ask the Government to make available emergency funds as my

:23:46. > :23:49.honourable friend raised yesterday, so that councils can carry out

:23:50. > :23:55.immediate fire safety checks and install sprinklers and the timetable

:23:56. > :23:58.for that would be made known to residents. There is a huge cost

:23:59. > :24:04.involved in removing and re-cladding blocks found to have flammable

:24:05. > :24:10.materials included in them. That money must be made available

:24:11. > :24:15.immediately because it is a huge job of work and when the Prime Minister

:24:16. > :24:19.says that those people in danger must be moved out of their

:24:20. > :24:23.properties, this is a massive undertaking and a huge focus of

:24:24. > :24:27.government resources will have to go into it. Will the Prime Minister

:24:28. > :24:31.ensure the counselling and mental health services she referred to as

:24:32. > :24:37.going on at the Westway sports centre now are available to all

:24:38. > :24:42.residents at Grenfell Tower and of the remaining areas around there and

:24:43. > :24:45.those who witnessed it on the Lancaster West estate including

:24:46. > :24:53.those in the emergency services who have been through such trauma? It is

:24:54. > :24:57.important in the days and weeks after the tragedy, but it has to go

:24:58. > :25:03.on for a long time. This trauma does not end a few days afterwards. The

:25:04. > :25:07.public inquiry must report as soon as possible and changes that can and

:25:08. > :25:11.should have been made must now be made without delay. We have to be

:25:12. > :25:17.aware that this has been a wake-up call to the whole country. The fire

:25:18. > :25:21.at Grenfell Tower has taken the lives of people who should be with

:25:22. > :25:26.us and alive and happy today. Residents of tower blocks all over

:25:27. > :25:31.the country are concerned, worried and frightened for their own safety.

:25:32. > :25:36.What we need is a step change in our attitude towards housing, to deal

:25:37. > :25:41.with the permanent housing crisis that so many of our constituents and

:25:42. > :25:44.residents face, and we need government intervention to support

:25:45. > :25:50.local authorities bringing about safe solutions to the housing

:25:51. > :25:54.crisis. So that this tragedy can at least change our attitudes and at

:25:55. > :25:58.least saved, as a country, we are seriously going to address the

:25:59. > :26:02.housing situation that so many people face, those people have died,

:26:03. > :26:07.they will never come back. We have to learned those lessons to make

:26:08. > :26:11.sure this tragedy is a turning point in our whole attitude and never

:26:12. > :26:19.again do people die needlessly in a towering Inferno living in poverty

:26:20. > :26:24.surrounded by a sea of prosperity. Thank you. May I first joined the

:26:25. > :26:28.Leader of the Opposition in commending the work of his new

:26:29. > :26:32.honourable friend, the member for Kensington? I am sure we can all

:26:33. > :26:35.remember our first few days as a Member of Parliament and getting to

:26:36. > :26:40.grips with it, to have to deal with a disaster and tragedy of this sort

:26:41. > :26:43.in your constituency so early on, it must have been very difficult, but I

:26:44. > :26:49.commend the honourable lady for the work she has done. The right

:26:50. > :26:53.honourable gentleman raised a number of issues, many of which will be

:26:54. > :26:56.matters for the inquiry to get to grips with. The responsibility in

:26:57. > :27:03.relation to this issue, some of the issues around the advice given by

:27:04. > :27:08.the Fire Service, all of these will be issues the inquiry I would expect

:27:09. > :27:12.to address and as I said in my statement, we want to ensure we are

:27:13. > :27:16.able to provide justice to the victims and survivors of this

:27:17. > :27:24.terrible tragedy that has taken place. I do expect the chairman of

:27:25. > :27:27.the inquiry or chair will produce an interim report so we see early

:27:28. > :27:31.lessons. I think it is important as soon as we know there is anything

:27:32. > :27:35.that needs to be learnt and dressed and acted on, that we know that as

:27:36. > :27:40.soon as possible and we take action as soon as possible.

:27:41. > :27:49.He referred to the issue of the coroner 's report in 2013. All of

:27:50. > :28:01.the recommendations from that enquiry have been acted on. I think

:28:02. > :28:06.it is in Portland to recognise that the Lakanal House coroner did not

:28:07. > :28:11.propose any changes that have not been acted on. On the question of

:28:12. > :28:18.the housing, we will be offering the housing in the borough or in

:28:19. > :28:23.neighbouring boroughs. We have 164 properties that have already been

:28:24. > :28:27.identified and are being looked at. A significant number of people have

:28:28. > :28:31.already been assessed for their housing needs, and some have already

:28:32. > :28:36.been offered housing. It is up to them as to whether they accept that

:28:37. > :28:40.or if other properties need to be offered to them, but that process is

:28:41. > :28:46.in hand, and I have set that three-week commitment that people

:28:47. > :28:48.will be rehoused within three weeks. The tenant management organisation

:28:49. > :28:53.which the Leader of the Opposition mentioned is an issue that has come

:28:54. > :28:57.across loud and clear to me with my conversations with local residents.

:28:58. > :29:01.One of the first acts of the new chief executive of Kensington and

:29:02. > :29:07.Chelsea Council will be to look at any action that needs to be taken

:29:08. > :29:11.there. And then the Leader of the Opposition referred to other

:29:12. > :29:16.instances, Hillsborough, and the child sexual abuse enquiry. I was

:29:17. > :29:19.pleased to be able to work with families from Hillsborough. They

:29:20. > :29:24.should have had justice at a far earlier stage but the issues are

:29:25. > :29:28.ongoing in terms of the Crown Prosecution Service looking at any

:29:29. > :29:35.potential criminal charges. But we have been able to provide the

:29:36. > :29:38.Hillsborough families with an opportunity for the truth, for them

:29:39. > :29:41.to know the truth of what happened to their loved ones, and for the

:29:42. > :29:47.public to know the truth of Hillsborough. I was also pleased to

:29:48. > :29:51.set up the child sexual abuse enquiry because when I setup that

:29:52. > :29:55.enquiry, I said for too long, people have made assumptions about certain

:29:56. > :29:58.people in our society and how they should be treated, and those

:29:59. > :30:07.assumptions are wrong. We need to find out why that has happened and

:30:08. > :30:14.we need to change it. I am keen to accommodate the level of interest in

:30:15. > :30:23.this subject. There is a premium upon brevity. Mr Iain Duncan Smith.

:30:24. > :30:25.I welcome the Prime Minister's statement and also welcome the

:30:26. > :30:31.actions she said she is going to take and the Government will take.

:30:32. > :30:35.Our prayers go out to all those who suffer so terribly and will continue

:30:36. > :30:39.to suffer in the days to come. I would like to ask her to add to the

:30:40. > :30:44.public enquiry one further remit, and that is to look at whether or

:30:45. > :30:49.not this whole process of retrofitting these old tower blocks

:30:50. > :30:54.is in fact viable at all, and whether or not there is a better way

:30:55. > :30:59.to both House and support tenants in these areas without the use of many

:31:00. > :31:03.of these incredibly badly designed and very faulty tower blocks. And

:31:04. > :31:06.could she ask the public enquiry to look carefully at whether or not it

:31:07. > :31:13.is feasible now to bring some of these down and improve more family

:31:14. > :31:19.friendly housing. I am grateful to my right honourable friend for his

:31:20. > :31:23.remarks. He is suggesting that the enquiry should go a great deal

:31:24. > :31:30.further than looking into this particular instance. I think what is

:31:31. > :31:33.important, and we will ensure that the survivors and local residents

:31:34. > :31:37.have an input into the terms of reference for this enquiry to ensure

:31:38. > :31:41.that it is an enquiry they can have confidence in and that they know

:31:42. > :31:49.will produce the justice that the need. I think we need to... I will

:31:50. > :31:56.reflect on my right honourable friend's comments, and it will get

:31:57. > :32:04.to the truth as we need it. Mr Ian Blackford. We welcome the

:32:05. > :32:08.opportunity of the Prime Minister's statement this morning. We can all

:32:09. > :32:13.reflect on the scene is that we walk up to last week, the horror of those

:32:14. > :32:19.that were living in the tower or the pain that they must have gone

:32:20. > :32:27.through. I want to also thank the members of the emergency services,

:32:28. > :32:31.putting their lives on the line and we all a tremendous debt of

:32:32. > :32:36.gratitude to them. Lee on these benches want to work with the

:32:37. > :32:40.Government on these matters. Last week was a defining moment in the

:32:41. > :32:45.evolution of our society. Can I say to the Prime Minister, respectfully,

:32:46. > :32:49.she has apologised to the Leader of the Opposition for the short notice,

:32:50. > :32:55.but it should also be to the third-party, and indeed all parties

:32:56. > :33:00.represented in this House. The Prime Minister said in her statement that

:33:01. > :33:04.the support on the ground was not good enough. Can I ask that through

:33:05. > :33:07.the public enquiry, if there are recommendations that are made,

:33:08. > :33:14.changes that have to be made, that the Government will accept those.

:33:15. > :33:18.Secondly, on the ?5 million which has been put into the emergency

:33:19. > :33:24.fund, if this is not sufficient, will be Government committed to

:33:25. > :33:27.doing what it needs to to make sure that the appropriate resources are

:33:28. > :33:32.available. I welcome the Prime Minister saying that the new housing

:33:33. > :33:34.block that has been built will be made available for some of the

:33:35. > :33:39.families. She talks about families moving in over the summer. Can she

:33:40. > :33:44.be more specific about when this will happen? And can be make sure

:33:45. > :33:48.that those families who do wish to live in the local area have that

:33:49. > :33:51.commitment that housing will be made available on the basis that there

:33:52. > :33:55.will be consultation, and that if the first offer is not acceptable,

:33:56. > :33:59.alternatives can be put in place? Will be Prime Minister agree that

:34:00. > :34:09.the public enquiry should include all the steps that were not taken in

:34:10. > :34:12.the lead up to this incident? This has to include the bereaved

:34:13. > :34:19.families, survivors as well as individuals, and organisations with

:34:20. > :34:24.the residents' campaign. This needs to be about Parliament recognising

:34:25. > :34:29.the significance of what has happened here. We can never be, as a

:34:30. > :34:33.country, in this position again, and I welcome the remarks made by the

:34:34. > :34:38.Prime Minister about social housing. Let's make sure that social housing

:34:39. > :34:42.is something we invest in. I grew up in a social House, I remember fondly

:34:43. > :34:50.my childhood, and I want people to have the same opportunities that we

:34:51. > :34:53.can all be proud of. Thank you, Mr Speaker, and perhaps I could take

:34:54. > :34:57.this opportunity in responding to the honourable gentleman to make it

:34:58. > :35:00.clear that the testing facilities I mentioned earlier are opened to the

:35:01. > :35:04.devolved administrations as well, so I would also coverage was in the

:35:05. > :35:09.devolved administrations, anybody that has any buildings of this sort

:35:10. > :35:15.to send samples in so they can be tested. He asked about the ?5

:35:16. > :35:18.million fund. It will be made available. Something like 700,000

:35:19. > :35:22.has already been paid out, and further monies will be paid out, but

:35:23. > :35:31.we will be looking at that some overtime. Regarding the housing

:35:32. > :35:34.development, the plans have been relaxed to enable work to take place

:35:35. > :35:43.over a longer as ours so we work can be speeded up. They could be

:35:44. > :35:48.available by the end of July, but that is dependent on the work being

:35:49. > :35:53.completed. He asked about issues around the enquiry. It is important,

:35:54. > :35:56.it is absolutely crucial, that the enquiry looks at how this happened

:35:57. > :36:02.and part of that will be looking at what led up to the fire, and the

:36:03. > :36:07.response to the fire, the immediate response, and the aftermath. We need

:36:08. > :36:10.to know why this happened and who was responsible for it. But of

:36:11. > :36:15.course, the judge who will be chairing the enquiry, will have a

:36:16. > :36:20.role in determining how that enquiry is handled in terms of the witnesses

:36:21. > :36:27.that he wishes to take and so forth. But as I said, I am very clear that

:36:28. > :36:32.we need this enquiry to have -- people need to be able to have full

:36:33. > :36:38.confidence in this enquiry and residents need to know that that is

:36:39. > :36:43.will meet their needs. Will be Prime Minister encourage local authorities

:36:44. > :36:50.to follow the lead set by Barnet Council with an immediate inspection

:36:51. > :36:54.of their high-rise blocks? New safety measures to be guided by the

:36:55. > :37:00.Fire Service and to include sprinklers fear these are needed. I

:37:01. > :37:03.thank my right honourable friend to join out to the attention of the

:37:04. > :37:10.House. I commend Barnet Council for the action they have taken. I hope

:37:11. > :37:16.every local authority will undertake these tests as they have been asked

:37:17. > :37:24.to do, and they will ensure the safety of the properties on which

:37:25. > :37:27.they are accommodating people. I thank the Prime Minister for her

:37:28. > :37:34.kind words, words which must be followed by deeds. Speaking on

:37:35. > :37:39.behalf of a traumatised and frightened community, who have

:37:40. > :37:44.little trust in authority, hourly reports suggest that there may have

:37:45. > :37:47.been issues with fire safety audits and fire safety regulations were not

:37:48. > :37:51.sufficiently robust. While we wait for the results of the enquiry,

:37:52. > :37:56.which I hope will not be too long, will the Prime Minister commit to

:37:57. > :37:59.adequate funds to enable emergency services, particularly the London

:38:00. > :38:05.Fire Brigade, to be fully funded to carry out this work and reverse the

:38:06. > :38:09.cuts to the Fire Services that have made their lives so difficult? These

:38:10. > :38:17.people have quite literally our lives in their hands. In short,

:38:18. > :38:24.clear as the funding? -- where is the funding? When I spoke to the

:38:25. > :38:27.emergency services on my first visit to Kensington, I asked if they had

:38:28. > :38:32.the resources they needed to do the job that they were doing. They

:38:33. > :38:38.assured me that they did. Obviously the question of the... The question

:38:39. > :38:43.of what the enquiry will look into in relation to this matter, they

:38:44. > :38:46.will obviously have to look at as I have just said, had the whole

:38:47. > :38:53.question of how this was possible that this could happen. The issue

:38:54. > :38:57.around... I am sure that the enquiry will look at the tests taken place

:38:58. > :39:02.on the tower and the adequacy of those tests and the adequacy of any

:39:03. > :39:07.response to those issues. I want the enquiry to find out these things as

:39:08. > :39:09.soon as because that could have invitations for other local

:39:10. > :39:15.authorities and four other blocks around the country. I would like to

:39:16. > :39:20.publicly congratulate the honourable lady on her election to the House,

:39:21. > :39:28.albeit in the most grave and Tron attic circumstances, and the first

:39:29. > :39:30.newly elected member to put a question in this chamber to be Prime

:39:31. > :39:36.Minister. I congratulate the honourable lady on her contribution.

:39:37. > :39:40.I want to thank the Prime Minister for her statement and the

:39:41. > :39:48.reassurance she has provided, and to thank my own two bonus for providing

:39:49. > :39:54.reassurance to residents -- boroughs. People will fear the

:39:55. > :40:01.impatience of a proper public enquiry for the same people there

:40:02. > :40:04.are likely to be people in the community affected. That scepticism

:40:05. > :40:08.will be there for obvious reasons, so I want to ask the Prime Minister

:40:09. > :40:11.of she will say a little more about the terms of reference for the

:40:12. > :40:22.public enquiry and explain how local residents will have meaningful input

:40:23. > :40:27.into it. I think it is important that it is an enquiry led by a

:40:28. > :40:30.judge. The judge will be completely independent and it will be up to

:40:31. > :40:34.them to determine which witnesses will be called and how they will

:40:35. > :40:39.manage the enquiry. It is very important because we want people to

:40:40. > :40:43.have the confidence of knowing that when the enquiry reports, it will be

:40:44. > :40:49.bringing the truth out. We'll so want people to have the confidence

:40:50. > :40:54.to know that actions that arise from the importations of the enquiry will

:40:55. > :40:58.be taken. And those who are responsible will be held to account.

:40:59. > :41:03.In relation to the terms of reference, as I have said, residents

:41:04. > :41:08.will be involved. The process at the moment is looking at how it is

:41:09. > :41:14.possible to do that. The judge will themselves want to reflect on how

:41:15. > :41:19.they want to speak to residents, but the message I have had from

:41:20. > :41:23.residents in bringing together a survivors group as a single voice is

:41:24. > :41:29.a very important one and will be a helpful one in this regard. I thank

:41:30. > :41:34.the Prime Minister for her statement. I think the news that she

:41:35. > :41:40.has given the House today that the cladding was indeed combustible and

:41:41. > :41:44.having been tested it showed it was combustible, is chilling news and

:41:45. > :41:50.will be horrifying confirmation of what we all saw on our television

:41:51. > :41:54.screens. It will be even more frightening... There are 58 tower

:41:55. > :41:58.blocks in my constituency, thousands all around the country. Can I

:41:59. > :42:04.suggest, as Prime Minister, that she gets a grip on this personally right

:42:05. > :42:12.away, and that what she does is... I am just been to make a suggestion,

:42:13. > :42:15.if I may. What she does is use Cobra to pull together and require all

:42:16. > :42:21.local authorities within a certain time frame to check the cladding on

:42:22. > :42:27.every one of their tower blocks? If she has done that, I look forward to

:42:28. > :42:32.hearing the timescale. To call together all local authorities to

:42:33. > :42:37.have a requirement on them to check every cladding on every tower block,

:42:38. > :42:41.to give them the resources to do that inspection within a certain

:42:42. > :42:46.timescale, to commit the resources to replace the cladding within a

:42:47. > :42:52.certain timescale where others find it is combustible. I think that is

:42:53. > :42:56.exactly what's Cobra should be done for, and it is not good enough to

:42:57. > :42:59.just congratulate or encourage other councils, she must take a grip on it

:43:00. > :43:06.personally. She said that the Lakanal House coroner's inquest

:43:07. > :43:13.findings had been acted on, but I would tell her that they have not.

:43:14. > :43:16.The coroner in 2013 in Lakanal House said that those deaths were

:43:17. > :43:20.avoidable, there should have been sprinklers, there should have been

:43:21. > :43:24.changing the fire instructions and there should be greater supervision

:43:25. > :43:28.of contracts and fire inspection. She said it was an unimaginable

:43:29. > :43:32.tragedy and that those debts should not have happened. They would not

:43:33. > :43:35.have happened if the Government had acted on the Lakanal House coroner's

:43:36. > :43:47.inquests rulings. Can I clarify what I said in my

:43:48. > :43:51.statement? I said local authorities had been invited to send in samples

:43:52. > :43:56.of cladding from similar buildings, some of those samples had been found

:43:57. > :44:00.to be combustible. It was in relation to that testing are used

:44:01. > :44:05.the term combustible. It is important I do that because we had

:44:06. > :44:09.taken, as she suggested, the precautionary measure immediately of

:44:10. > :44:15.asking local authorities, all local authorities, to identify blocks with

:44:16. > :44:19.similar cladding, and to take measures together with local Fire

:44:20. > :44:24.And Rescue Services to ensure people within those buildings were safe,

:44:25. > :44:30.part of that process has been about the testing, and as I say, we stand

:44:31. > :44:35.ready to continue to test for all local authorities who wish to send

:44:36. > :44:39.in samples. The description of the coroner's report from Lakanal House,

:44:40. > :44:43.the coroner did not, as I understand it, so there should be sprinklers

:44:44. > :44:49.and every one of these types of properties, but what is important is

:44:50. > :44:54.that... What underpinned what she was saying was the necessity of

:44:55. > :44:58.making sure people living in similar blocks are able to feel reassured

:44:59. > :45:02.about their safety. We have taken the steps, local authorities have

:45:03. > :45:07.been working with Fire And Rescue Services, we are now going back

:45:08. > :45:10.after the results of these tests of cladding are being given back to

:45:11. > :45:14.local authorities, they are immediately acting to ensure the

:45:15. > :45:20.safety of people. There are a number of steps we can undertake and we

:45:21. > :45:25.expect them to do what is necessary. In recent years, London has seen

:45:26. > :45:29.many high-quality high-rises being built, often financed with hot

:45:30. > :45:35.foreign money and left empty for years, sometimes with the kitchens

:45:36. > :45:38.covered clingfilm and pristine, and while we understand there are

:45:39. > :45:42.occasions when a landlord will need to leave an apartment empty from

:45:43. > :45:45.time to time, when brand-new properties are empty for many years,

:45:46. > :45:50.does the Prime Minister think it is right to discuss with the Chancellor

:45:51. > :45:57.changing the taxation regime so that as in New York City these people

:45:58. > :46:01.face punitive taxation? He raises an interesting point and he has taken a

:46:02. > :46:06.long interest in issues relating to housing in his time in this House.

:46:07. > :46:10.Understand in fact the number of empty homes is at low levels at the

:46:11. > :46:14.moment and of course we always look to see what we can do, what we want

:46:15. > :46:18.to ensure its people are housed and properties are being used for the

:46:19. > :46:25.purpose for which they have been built. The building regulations fit

:46:26. > :46:28.for purpose, we should all be protected from fire. What assurance

:46:29. > :46:34.can the Prime Minister give the review of building regulations, as

:46:35. > :46:38.recommended by the Lakanal House coroner, will be done as urgently as

:46:39. > :46:42.possible and that the building regulations advisory committee,

:46:43. > :46:47.which historically has undertaken this work, be recalled as a matter

:46:48. > :46:51.of urgency? This could be done in tandem with the public inquiry, it

:46:52. > :46:55.does not have to wait until the end of it. The honourable gentleman,

:46:56. > :47:01.obviously with his background, has a particular interest in these issues,

:47:02. > :47:05.the coroner's recommendation was in relation not to changing the

:47:06. > :47:08.regulations but the guidance that followed the regulations. That work

:47:09. > :47:14.is indeed in hand. My understanding is the fire regulations have not

:47:15. > :47:20.been changed since 2006. The public inquiry will want to look at this as

:47:21. > :47:25.one of the issues they address. The amount of remedial work that may

:47:26. > :47:31.need to be carried out on a limited timescale will possibly mean great

:47:32. > :47:34.pressures fall on the workforce capable of carrying out this

:47:35. > :47:38.remedial work, will the Prime Minister ensure her colleagues in

:47:39. > :47:42.government make all the necessary funds and resources available if we

:47:43. > :47:47.need to recruit or train further personnel to carry out the remedial

:47:48. > :47:50.work on those blocks that failed the tests? My right honourable friend

:47:51. > :47:55.raises a very important point, we need to ensure the voices are there

:47:56. > :47:58.in every sense for the work that is necessary and we are looking at a

:47:59. > :48:09.variety of ways to ensure that is indeed the case. All members of this

:48:10. > :48:12.House across this House will have men toured unemployed and want to

:48:13. > :48:19.see flourish young people. My wife principally and I employed and

:48:20. > :48:25.encouraged and mentored a young woman called Khadija Saye who lost

:48:26. > :48:30.her life with her mother on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower. I spoke to

:48:31. > :48:36.her father on Tuesday and he described with anguish, obviously,

:48:37. > :48:39.losing his only daughter and we had a discussion about how he would cope

:48:40. > :48:46.in going to the mortuary to visit his daughter in the state that

:48:47. > :48:51.clearly she is in. On their behalf, and all of the people that died, I

:48:52. > :48:56.urge the Prime Minister to say something more about the criminal

:48:57. > :49:00.investigation that was announced last week. She has talked about the

:49:01. > :49:07.public inquiry. But she understands that most people see this as a crime

:49:08. > :49:13.and they know that rich and powerful organisations get away with crime.

:49:14. > :49:18.Can she say what resources have been brought to bear for the Metropolitan

:49:19. > :49:23.Police? How big are the teams? Why is it we have not had any commentary

:49:24. > :49:30.about charges, arrests or the seizure of documents? Can I first of

:49:31. > :49:35.all say how sorry I am to hear the right honourable gentleman has lost

:49:36. > :49:38.somebody, a friend, in this terrible tragedy? There are obviously many

:49:39. > :49:44.people in that position but it brings it home to this House and

:49:45. > :49:48.right into this Chamber. He mentioned the issue of bereavement,

:49:49. > :49:54.if I could mention there is a family bereavement centre now opened which

:49:55. > :49:59.provides a suitable place in which people can be counselled in relation

:50:00. > :50:04.to this matter. And there is a great deal of thought and care being

:50:05. > :50:11.undertaken in relation to those families who will obviously be

:50:12. > :50:16.wanting to see bodies of those who have died in the fire, this is a

:50:17. > :50:20.very sensitive and difficult matter, as I am sure all members will

:50:21. > :50:24.recognise, and every action is being taken to do this as sensitively and

:50:25. > :50:29.thoughtfully as possible with the consideration of those who have lost

:50:30. > :50:32.loved ones. In relation to the criminal investigation, it has been

:50:33. > :50:39.opened by the Metropolitan Police. He invites me to comment on that in

:50:40. > :50:42.a whole variety of ways. As he will know, it is an operational matter

:50:43. > :50:47.for the Met Police, it is for them to determine any point at which they

:50:48. > :50:55.have evidence which could lead to prosecutions or charges. We must let

:50:56. > :50:59.the Met do their job, they are doing it carefully, properly, but I can

:51:00. > :51:03.assure him and others that they will get to the truth and they will leave

:51:04. > :51:13.no stone unturned and if there are charges and prosecutions to be made,

:51:14. > :51:17.they will be. I attended a group, and understandably heated group

:51:18. > :51:20.discussion with local residents in the shadow of Grenfell Tower

:51:21. > :51:24.yesterday evening and there seemed to be confusion about the coroner's

:51:25. > :51:27.recommendation is in terms of retrofitting of sprinklers. The

:51:28. > :51:30.right honourable lady from Camberwell and Peckham is also

:51:31. > :51:34.unclear on this. The coroner recommended we should encourage

:51:35. > :51:39.housing providers to retrofit, despite the fact that the royal

:51:40. > :51:47.borough of Kensington and Chelsea did not carry out this ?8.7 million

:51:48. > :51:51.refurbishment -- did carry out this ?8.7 million refurbishment, they did

:51:52. > :51:56.not retrofit sprinklers. Agreed that should be incentives for local

:51:57. > :52:01.authorities to retrofit when they carry out these kinds of

:52:02. > :52:02.refurbishment is? My honourable friend has rightly identified the

:52:03. > :52:07.recommendation the coroner made which was that encouragement be

:52:08. > :52:17.given to landlords to retrofit sprinklers. But I would just say the

:52:18. > :52:21.members of this House that the situation is not as easy as perhaps

:52:22. > :52:24.it would appear in that in not all cases will it be the case that the

:52:25. > :52:28.retrofitting of sprinklers is actually going to be the thing that

:52:29. > :52:33.makes the difference. There are a whole variety of reasons why that

:52:34. > :52:37.may be the case. Some work has been undertaken on testing retrofitting

:52:38. > :52:42.of sprinklers into a number of tower blocks in different parts of the

:52:43. > :52:45.country. It is not just, as I say, a question of assuming you can go in

:52:46. > :52:55.and do it and it will automatically work and do the job necessary. It is

:52:56. > :52:58.an issue that has been looked at and continues to be looked at but it

:52:59. > :53:01.needs to be done carefully to ensure any work that is done or is required

:53:02. > :53:05.is genuinely going to operate in a wake to -- in a way to keep people

:53:06. > :53:09.safe. Can I express my party's condolences to those affected by

:53:10. > :53:13.this disaster? And our praise for the local community and emergency

:53:14. > :53:16.services who stepped up in the immediate aftermath when

:53:17. > :53:20.unfortunately the local and national authorities failed to do so. Can I

:53:21. > :53:23.thank the Prime Minister for the statement today and also setting up

:53:24. > :53:27.a public inquiry? Can the Prime Minister confirm when the work on

:53:28. > :53:28.the guidance she referred to on building regulations, fire safety,

:53:29. > :53:45.when it will be completed? Can she confirm that as much focus

:53:46. > :53:46.will be put on private blocks, particularly those converted from

:53:47. > :53:48.office blocks into residential blocks, as is being put on local

:53:49. > :53:51.authority and housing association blocks, and can she confirm the

:53:52. > :53:53.Government will immediately ban the use of combustible materials to

:53:54. > :53:59.ensure this tragedy cannot happen again? On the last point, the

:54:00. > :54:03.building regulations set out the materials compliant and materials

:54:04. > :54:07.that are noncompliant. As we go through this process of looking at

:54:08. > :54:10.materials used in various blocks, the question as to whether those

:54:11. > :54:14.indeed comply with building regulations will be one of those

:54:15. > :54:17.that needs to be looked at and that will be an issue that will be looked

:54:18. > :54:24.at in relation to the public inquiry. The questions in relation

:54:25. > :54:31.to the guidance of the building regulations, that work is ongoing

:54:32. > :54:36.and I would expect imminent... It is not just a question of producing

:54:37. > :54:38.something, there needs to be consultation with various

:54:39. > :54:45.organisations. But what we need to ensure is when the Fire Services,

:54:46. > :54:48.the police have done their investigation, that any action

:54:49. > :54:53.necessary immediately as a result of the identification of the cause of

:54:54. > :54:57.the fire and the reasons why the fire took such hold which is of

:54:58. > :55:00.course the issue that is of particular concern, then any action

:55:01. > :55:06.necessary is taken and it will be taken. My right honourable friend

:55:07. > :55:11.might be interested to know I spent about three hours on Monday walking

:55:12. > :55:14.around the Grenfell Tower area talking to people and I met

:55:15. > :55:19.traumatised victims who did not want to go into the centres to get help

:55:20. > :55:24.so clearly people need to go out to them. They were angry there was no

:55:25. > :55:28.clear housing policy as to when and where they would be rehoused but

:55:29. > :55:31.above all what I found was there was an enormous amount of work being

:55:32. > :55:35.done by voluntary bodies, all sorts of bodies, but there is a clear lack

:55:36. > :55:39.of coordination as to how these bodies are to move forward together.

:55:40. > :55:42.Can I strongly support what my right honourable friend this morning that

:55:43. > :55:51.we should establish a high-level government task force that is able

:55:52. > :55:54.to go into a similar sort of disaster, they should be available

:55:55. > :55:57.24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to take over from the immediate command

:55:58. > :56:02.situation? Can I thank him for the work he has done and the feedback he

:56:03. > :56:06.has given the ministers in relation to the conversations he had with

:56:07. > :56:10.residents and victims on the ground? He is absolutely right, the outreach

:56:11. > :56:14.workers, the point has been made that they need to go out to see

:56:15. > :56:18.people to make sure people know what is available, rather than expecting

:56:19. > :56:22.people to come into the centre. I can assure him we are looking

:56:23. > :56:26.actively at what further resilience we can put into the system by

:56:27. > :56:29.establishing the sort of task force we have spoken about that will be

:56:30. > :56:35.available should... None of us want a circumstance like this to happen

:56:36. > :56:41.again, but that we ensure there is full resilience there were disasters

:56:42. > :56:45.take place. While many of the questions that those affected by

:56:46. > :56:48.this disaster will want answers to will have to wait the outcome of the

:56:49. > :56:52.inquiry, there is one factual question that surely it is possible

:56:53. > :57:01.to answer now. Was clouding of the type used in Grenfell Tower complied

:57:02. > :57:05.with the fire safety and building regulations applicable at the time

:57:06. > :57:09.when the refurbishment was undertaken? Yes or know? -- was

:57:10. > :57:14.clouding of the type used. My understanding was that Fire Service

:57:15. > :57:18.and building research Establishment have been on the scene very early to

:57:19. > :57:22.look at this issue and they have been identifying the cause of the

:57:23. > :57:28.fire and any contributory factors to the fire.

:57:29. > :57:35.They have been looking at the cause of the fire. They are testing the

:57:36. > :57:40.cladding on the building and they expect to make the results of this

:57:41. > :57:49.public in the next, I think, 48 hours. Can my right honourable

:57:50. > :57:52.friend confirm that those firefighters who attended the

:57:53. > :57:56.harrowing scene and their families, will get the psychological support

:57:57. > :57:59.they may well need in the months and years ahead? And which she commit to

:58:00. > :58:06.report back on how this will be set up for them? Yes. She has raised an

:58:07. > :58:11.important issue, which the Leader of the Opposition also touched on. I

:58:12. > :58:16.can confirm we are assuring that support and counselling will be

:58:17. > :58:23.available, and there will be further updates to the House on the response

:58:24. > :58:31.to Grenfell Tower. Further to the previous question, the cladding on

:58:32. > :58:34.the tarot is a standard rod up that is available for sale. I don't

:58:35. > :58:38.understand why the Prime Minister can't tell us whether that product

:58:39. > :58:45.is compliant with building regulations for each tower this

:58:46. > :58:50.high. Why can she not tell us the answer? Can she also confirm that

:58:51. > :58:55.the advisory committee that should be looking at part B of the building

:58:56. > :59:03.regulations on fire safety, has not yet actually met to look at how they

:59:04. > :59:09.could be improved? I will add to the answer I gave to the right

:59:10. > :59:12.honourable gentleman previously. I ask honourable members to remember

:59:13. > :59:18.that that is a criminal investigation taking place in

:59:19. > :59:21.relation to this matter. The testing of the cladding and materials used

:59:22. > :59:27.is being undertaken and a statement will be made by the police and the

:59:28. > :59:40.fire service within the next 48 hours. The London Resilience For has

:59:41. > :59:46.a number of multi-agency plans for things like a mass shelter, masked

:59:47. > :59:53.that allergies, mass casualties. Can we confirm whether these plans were

:59:54. > :59:59.fully implemented and can we ensure that what lessons we learned through

:00:00. > :00:04.the enquiry process are fed back into the Resilience Forum in London

:00:05. > :00:17.and around the country to make sure those lessons are learned. I know

:00:18. > :00:21.that he took a particular interest in matters relating to the fire

:00:22. > :00:27.brigade. I can confirm we have already looked at this question of

:00:28. > :00:32.resilience forums around the country. We will make sure any

:00:33. > :00:36.lessons learned from Grenfell Tower are fed into the resilience teams.

:00:37. > :00:40.Nielsen need to make sure that those teams around the country are as

:00:41. > :00:46.resilient as the need to be in terms of providing the support, should any

:00:47. > :00:50.disaster happened. We have seen this in relation to other disasters like

:00:51. > :00:59.flooding. We need to make sure that they are operating as they should.

:01:00. > :01:02.Can the Prime Minister please confirm when the judge will be

:01:03. > :01:07.appointed, also with the comments made by my colleagues on this site,

:01:08. > :01:10.I'd be grateful for your clarification as to whether you are

:01:11. > :01:15.advising us that you don't know whether the cladding was building

:01:16. > :01:19.regulation compliant, because the question that has been raised with

:01:20. > :01:25.the Prime Minister is whether that material was compliant. Are you

:01:26. > :01:30.advising that it needs to be tested before you give an answer to that

:01:31. > :01:40.question? . As I said, the material is being tested, the results of the

:01:41. > :01:46.test... The information... The information that the police is able

:01:47. > :01:51.to give publicly, they blogger. This is part of the criminal

:01:52. > :01:57.investigation. It is... Honourable members may shake their heads, but

:01:58. > :02:03.they want to ensure that a further criminal charges to be brought,

:02:04. > :02:08.those charges are indeed brought. And we must therefore ensure that we

:02:09. > :02:12.give the police the opportunity to do the job that they undertake and

:02:13. > :02:21.that nothing we do prejudices that's. I welcome the Prime

:02:22. > :02:29.Minister's commitment to the publication of an early interim

:02:30. > :02:32.report. After the Croydon tram crash, reports were published within

:02:33. > :02:36.three months had identified the immediate cause of the crash, so

:02:37. > :02:39.that action could be taken. Can she assure the house that a similar

:02:40. > :02:46.approach will be taken in relation to this interim report? It was very

:02:47. > :02:51.important that interim reports came out very quickly in relation to the

:02:52. > :02:58.Croydon enquiry. I can confirm that I fully expect the judge to bring

:02:59. > :03:01.out an interim report. I did not answer her first question about the

:03:02. > :03:06.judge. I would expect within a few days to announce the name of the

:03:07. > :03:12.judge, but be very much want to ensure that when the judge takes

:03:13. > :03:16.charge of this enquiry, that people feel that they can have full

:03:17. > :03:21.confidence in the enquiry, so we're taking steps to ensure that is the

:03:22. > :03:28.case. Sympathies are not enough, but on behalf of my party, I offer them

:03:29. > :03:30.till has suffered and express my gratitude to the emergency services

:03:31. > :03:39.who should the dedication of heroes in unimaginable circumstances.

:03:40. > :03:42.Penalising individuals as partial retribution. Those in government

:03:43. > :03:47.should search their souls, and will the Prime Minister commit that in

:03:48. > :03:52.future policy and resources, a disaster of this magnitude can never

:03:53. > :04:03.happen again in a 21st-century first world country? Can I first

:04:04. > :04:16.congratulate the honourable lady on her appointment as leader of Plaid

:04:17. > :04:22.Cymru members in this house, and assure her that we will ensure this

:04:23. > :04:28.never happens again. If the cladding is found to be illegal and we find

:04:29. > :04:38.other towers have been similarly clad, should can we look into the

:04:39. > :04:41.cladding on all the other towers? What I would say to my honourable

:04:42. > :04:48.friend is that if illegal activity is taking place, then that's a

:04:49. > :04:53.matter the police and part of the investigation the police will be

:04:54. > :04:59.undertaking. It's a question of what we're doing now in relation to the

:05:00. > :05:01.tower blocks, that's why when encouraging local authorities,

:05:02. > :05:10.housing associations and private landlords to send in their material

:05:11. > :05:21.protesting. As the leader of a party which is responsible for seven years

:05:22. > :05:25.of austerity, which has cut 56% of the cash available to my local

:05:26. > :05:28.authority in the last seven years, and the leader of a party that has

:05:29. > :05:35.spent its time talking about regulation has a bad thing, is she

:05:36. > :05:41.now going to apologise to the country for the states of local

:05:42. > :05:50.governments, when the richest borough in London cannot afford,

:05:51. > :05:55.couldn't cope with this emergency, because at the same time as they

:05:56. > :06:06.were giving money back to their council taxpayers. I say to the

:06:07. > :06:10.honourable lady, we are currently dealing with the aftermath of a

:06:11. > :06:13.terrible disaster that has led to people losing their lives and other

:06:14. > :06:19.losing their homes and everything they own. They are making sure we're

:06:20. > :06:21.putting the steps in place. I recognise that the response

:06:22. > :06:31.initially wasn't good enough. But I was stepped up response. That's why

:06:32. > :06:35.didn't respond to the honourable member for Camberwell in Peckham.

:06:36. > :06:39.That's why we have been putting extra resource into making sure the

:06:40. > :06:43.response is suitable. This will be an issue of looking at the

:06:44. > :06:49.regulations. My understanding is these regulations are ones that were

:06:50. > :06:51.established in 2006. We will be looking at the regulations, the

:06:52. > :06:56.enquiry will look at the regulations. We'll look at how they

:06:57. > :07:01.would apply. We'll look at the local authority and the issues raised

:07:02. > :07:05.about the residents' complaints in advance of this disaster about the

:07:06. > :07:12.tenant management organisation, and will get to the bottom of who was

:07:13. > :07:17.responsible. As befits the occasion, these are thoughtful and solemn

:07:18. > :07:21.exchanges, much I must advise the cutback house that progress has been

:07:22. > :07:27.very slow. I'm keen to accommodate the extent of the interest, so I

:07:28. > :07:34.appeal to colleagues to confine themselves to short, single sentence

:07:35. > :07:39.questions, of which the honourable gentleman next is a notable

:07:40. > :07:41.exponent. At the end of her compassionate and complaints of

:07:42. > :07:48.statement, the Prime Minister said we had to think about people living

:07:49. > :07:52.very different lives from ourselves. In opinion surveys go back over

:07:53. > :07:56.decades, people never said they wanted to live in tower blocks. Can

:07:57. > :08:04.we change public policy, so that tower blocks can become a thing of

:08:05. > :08:08.the past? I am grateful for that question. There are many people who

:08:09. > :08:11.do not wish to live in tower blocks, there are some people who are

:08:12. > :08:16.perfectly comfortable living and. But what we have to look at is the

:08:17. > :08:22.approach that is taken to social housing. I think that's one of the

:08:23. > :08:27.lessons that comes this disaster. There will be an outbreak of sibling

:08:28. > :08:34.rivalry, so I must now call Maria Eagle. The Prime Minister confirmed

:08:35. > :08:37.in a statement that testing had discovered combustible cladding on

:08:38. > :08:43.tower blocks in other parts of the country. Given that people living in

:08:44. > :08:47.those tower blocks are going to fear more than others the consequences of

:08:48. > :08:52.that discovery, what steps can she take to make sure that the landlords

:08:53. > :09:00.have local authorities with those tower blocks exist, can swiftly deal

:09:01. > :09:08.with the consequences of that discovery? That work is already

:09:09. > :09:12.being undertaken. First of all, the testing work has been undertaken by

:09:13. > :09:18.local authorities, housing associations and we encourage

:09:19. > :09:24.private landlords to do it as well. We encourage everybody to send an

:09:25. > :09:26.sample so we can test them in labs. Local authorities are immediately

:09:27. > :09:32.informed if the material is combustible. They are then looking

:09:33. > :09:36.with the local fire services at ensuring the safety of those

:09:37. > :09:39.buildings. But will be done in a number of ways. But the is a

:09:40. > :09:42.responsibility to make sure people are hoes safely and the government

:09:43. > :09:51.is working with local authorities to make sure of that. I commend her

:09:52. > :09:54.statement and the extraordinary degree of personal responsibility

:09:55. > :10:03.she is taking. As she handed officials had a chance to look at

:10:04. > :10:06.the report which has repeatedly recommended that the House of

:10:07. > :10:10.Commons should have more of a role in the setting up of such enquiries?

:10:11. > :10:13.Which he considered asking the house to establish a special select

:10:14. > :10:18.committee very quickly to look at the terms of reference, to give a

:10:19. > :10:21.pre-appointment hearing of the cheers of the enquiry and to set the

:10:22. > :10:25.budget and timetable and make sure that this public enquiry does have

:10:26. > :10:32.cross-party and public competence, in the way that so many public

:10:33. > :10:37.enquiries have failed to do? He raises an important issue about

:10:38. > :10:42.enquiries. We always look carefully at the reports of the advisory

:10:43. > :10:46.committee and its predecessor. What's important in relation to this

:10:47. > :10:52.enquiry, is that we did get it up and running with appropriate speed,

:10:53. > :10:57.and the most important thing to me is that the residents affected will

:10:58. > :11:01.have confidence in the enquiry. The important thing we need to do is to

:11:02. > :11:08.make sure it is the residency can feel this enquiry is genuinely going

:11:09. > :11:11.to get to the truth for them. We're still waiting to hear the Prime

:11:12. > :11:15.Minister says she will underwrite the costs to local authorities of

:11:16. > :11:20.inspection and urgent remedial action, given the cuts of up to a

:11:21. > :11:25.third or a half of local authority budgets, and housing providers being

:11:26. > :11:30.obliged to implement a rent cuts, which is squeezed their budgets. We

:11:31. > :11:34.can have a postcode lottery in terms of safety provision, and that means

:11:35. > :11:40.a commitment now from the government underwriter. We are providing the

:11:41. > :11:45.testing facilities to the local authorities. We're working with them

:11:46. > :11:48.to identify their needs and requirements and the response they

:11:49. > :11:55.need to take and work with them to make sure they can respond in the

:11:56. > :12:02.way that isn't necessarily. -- in the way that is necessary.

:12:03. > :12:10.I can give that reassurance. Being close to friends and family but also

:12:11. > :12:13.it is important for children to go to local schools. Mr Speaker, the

:12:14. > :12:18.Prime Minister talked about looking forward to the future and those who

:12:19. > :12:22.are far removed in lifestyles from those many in Westminster enjoy.

:12:23. > :12:26.This is the reality in my constituency with overcrowding, two

:12:27. > :12:30.families living in many homes, homelessness is the worst it has

:12:31. > :12:35.been. Will she take a personal lead in taking plans forward to make sure

:12:36. > :12:43.we deliver not just more housing but more really affordable housing for

:12:44. > :12:46.the people who need it? We published proposals in relation to housing

:12:47. > :12:50.before the general election. We want to ensure there are more affordable

:12:51. > :12:58.homes, more houses being built and we have put half a billion into the

:12:59. > :13:02.issue of dealing with homelessness. May I thank the Prime Minister for

:13:03. > :13:06.her detailed and compassionate statement she has given us this

:13:07. > :13:11.morning? I wonder if she would agree that although there are obviously

:13:12. > :13:16.legitimate questions surrounding the Grenfell tragedy and rightly they

:13:17. > :13:20.must be asked, we should exercise caution in attributing blame or

:13:21. > :13:24.condemnation before we know the facts? As a former journalist, I

:13:25. > :13:27.feel really strongly about this, scaremongering does not help

:13:28. > :13:34.anybody. Getting to the bottom of things does. My honourable friend is

:13:35. > :13:40.right. What is important is that the evidence is identified, the issue is

:13:41. > :13:45.properly considered, everybody is able to give their views and their

:13:46. > :13:48.evidence into the inquiry, and it is able to get to the truth and find

:13:49. > :13:52.the result and find out what happened. The Fire Services and the

:13:53. > :13:56.police are looking at the immediate cause of the fire. They will make

:13:57. > :14:02.public any statements in relation to that they are able to. But the

:14:03. > :14:08.inquiry will get to the truth and it is important we actually allow the

:14:09. > :14:12.inquiry to identify responsibility. Leeds City Council have responded

:14:13. > :14:16.swiftly, communicating with tenants and residents in all 116 blocks,

:14:17. > :14:21.testing the cladding, none of which uses the same as what was used in

:14:22. > :14:25.Kensington. But what we now need to know and following on from the

:14:26. > :14:32.question from my honourable friend is that whatever recommendations are

:14:33. > :14:35.made, on sprinklers, cladding, fire alarms and other remedial work, that

:14:36. > :14:39.it will be central government providing the funds to ensure

:14:40. > :14:45.tenants and residents in all of the thousands of tower blocks across the

:14:46. > :14:48.country are safe? I thought I have responded on a number of questions

:14:49. > :14:53.on this. The Government is working with local authorities. We will

:14:54. > :14:59.ensure any essential work necessary in terms of remedial action for

:15:00. > :15:06.safety of the blocks in relation to fire are taken. We will work with

:15:07. > :15:08.local authorities to identify... There will be different

:15:09. > :15:16.circumstances in different local authorities. We will ensure the work

:15:17. > :15:21.can be undertaken. Thank you. Can I commend the Prime Minister for her

:15:22. > :15:25.statement and for talking about the public inquiry? From my experience

:15:26. > :15:29.of having had a public inquiry for two and a half years in my

:15:30. > :15:33.constituency, it is vital it is thorough but that it is also as

:15:34. > :15:39.swift as possible. Can I urge that whoever is appointed talks with

:15:40. > :15:42.people like Sir Robert Francis who chaired the public inquiry in my

:15:43. > :15:49.constituency to find out from his experience how that can best be

:15:50. > :15:54.achieved? I will pass that on. I agree it is important it is done as

:15:55. > :15:58.quickly as possible. Can I welcome the Prime Minister Pozner statement

:15:59. > :16:03.the Government will play for legal representation for those affected by

:16:04. > :16:06.the fire? -- the Prime Minister Pozner statement. Can she confirm

:16:07. > :16:10.both victims and tenants groups will be given public funding for

:16:11. > :16:14.independent and separate legal representation sufficient to enable

:16:15. > :16:19.them to have a voice equal to that of local and national government and

:16:20. > :16:23.the private management company? I ask this question because I

:16:24. > :16:25.understand the tenants association were not allowed legal

:16:26. > :16:33.representation in the Lakanal House fire inquiry. It is one of the

:16:34. > :16:38.experiences that came out of the hills for inquiry, the importance of

:16:39. > :16:43.ensuring that those affected had appropriate legal representation --

:16:44. > :16:45.the Hillsborough inquiry. The government funded that legal

:16:46. > :16:49.representation to enable them to have the strength of what they

:16:50. > :16:54.needed. As she will be aware, how the inquiry is conducted and the

:16:55. > :16:59.witnesses who called under representations received will be...

:17:00. > :17:03.The judge will decide how he wants to conduct that inquiry. For those

:17:04. > :17:07.who require legal representation, we will be funding that by the

:17:08. > :17:10.Government and I have not set any limits in relation to the types of

:17:11. > :17:17.body or individuals who that would be. My right honourable friend was

:17:18. > :17:20.absolutely right to highlight the incredible work of the brave

:17:21. > :17:26.firefighters who attended the scene in the immediate aftermath of this

:17:27. > :17:28.incident. But will she not only ensure they are properly recognised

:17:29. > :17:34.for those Herculean efforts, but also any welfare needs arising are

:17:35. > :17:39.met immediately? My honourable friend is absolutely right and

:17:40. > :17:44.support is being given to the firefighters and police and others

:17:45. > :17:47.who attended the scene to ensure... They also obviously potential

:17:48. > :17:52.suffering from trauma as a result of what they have seen and that support

:17:53. > :17:56.will be available. The Prime Minister in concluding her statement

:17:57. > :18:00.said we should resolve never to forget these people. I would like to

:18:01. > :18:07.ask her who she thinks forgot these people? Was that the formula delete

:18:08. > :18:11.macro former Chancellor of the Exchequer who -- was it the former

:18:12. > :18:17.charge of the stack? Former ministers who ignored pleas from

:18:18. > :18:21.this House on fire safety? Or her who has seen other people in Britain

:18:22. > :18:30.as these people rather than our friends and our neighbours? I think

:18:31. > :18:32.the best response I can give is to refer her to the remarks I made when

:18:33. > :18:42.I became Prime Minister on the steps I became Prime Minister on the steps

:18:43. > :18:43.of Downing Street. I note in the Prime Minister Pozner statement all

:18:44. > :18:46.social landlords have been instructed to carry out additional

:18:47. > :18:53.fire safety checks but private landlords have been given advice

:18:54. > :18:59.they can take up an option of the same facility. Can we ensure the

:19:00. > :19:04.inquiry looks at social and private tower blocks? All citizens should be

:19:05. > :19:07.equal when it comes to safety. The inquiry will focus on what happened

:19:08. > :19:12.at Grenfell Tower but any implications that come out of it may

:19:13. > :19:19.well affect others, not just social landlords but private landlords as

:19:20. > :19:22.well. The Prime Minister has already been asked this question several

:19:23. > :19:27.times and failed to answer, so I will give her the opportunity again.

:19:28. > :19:31.Will the Government fully commit to meet the costs for proper and a

:19:32. > :19:36.appropriate safety checks to fully fund the safety checks to retrofit

:19:37. > :19:45.sprinklers and any other associated costs? I have answered it. I have

:19:46. > :19:48.made it clear... I have made it clear that where work is necessary,

:19:49. > :19:53.resources will be available to ensure that work can be undertaken.

:19:54. > :19:58.It is for the Government to work with local authorities to ensure

:19:59. > :20:02.that takes place. The families of the victims are entitled to the

:20:03. > :20:05.truth, not speculation, not conjecture, the truth based on

:20:06. > :20:09.evidence. My right honourable friend is right to set up the public

:20:10. > :20:13.inquiry. But can we ensure an early date is agreed for publication of an

:20:14. > :20:17.interim report on the facts of this case more than any other, justice

:20:18. > :20:22.delayed is justice denied? I would expect and hope that the judge...

:20:23. > :20:26.The individual will be independent, but I would expect that the judge

:20:27. > :20:30.when appointed would indicate publicly when they would expect to

:20:31. > :20:36.bring an interim report out so people will have that confidence.

:20:37. > :20:42.Will the Prime Minister confirm the 68 flats to be allocated to the

:20:43. > :20:46.victims of the Grenfell Tower fire are already designated as social

:20:47. > :20:49.housing? What we need particularly in places where West London were

:20:50. > :20:56.social housing is the only affordable housing for any is large

:20:57. > :20:59.investment in housing and on these benches we will be very sceptical

:21:00. > :21:02.about her conversion to social housing until she starts providing

:21:03. > :21:07.that housing, not talking about it. The important part about the

:21:08. > :21:11.development is that it is being ring fenced for people affected by

:21:12. > :21:14.Grenfell Tower. That is the significance of this. It is

:21:15. > :21:18.available and it will be available to leap for people who have been

:21:19. > :21:24.displaced and lost their homes as a result of this tragedy -- available

:21:25. > :21:25.to people. We have heard residents had spoken up about their fears but

:21:26. > :21:31.not being listened to. Like so many not being listened to. Like so many

:21:32. > :21:33.of our constituents on whose behalf we frequently write the

:21:34. > :21:37.organisations asking for them to be given a fair hearing and despite the

:21:38. > :21:41.dedication of many thousands of staff. Can I ask my right honourable

:21:42. > :21:44.friend to look at the management systems and culture of organisations

:21:45. > :21:48.that serve the public to work out what needs to change to make sure

:21:49. > :21:52.every citizen of this country, whoever they are, wherever they are,

:21:53. > :22:00.they are not just heard but listen to? She raises an important point in

:22:01. > :22:04.relation to this issue. It is indeed and we need to ensure that

:22:05. > :22:07.organisations who have a responsibility to the public do

:22:08. > :22:13.indeed listen to the public, as my right honourable friend said. In

:22:14. > :22:16.relation to looking ahead for any future disasters that should take

:22:17. > :22:19.place, that is why I am looking at this concept of the independent

:22:20. > :22:23.public advocate, somebody who can make sure that answers come, not

:22:24. > :22:30.just that people get the support they need, but they get the answers

:22:31. > :22:35.they need. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Many have paid tribute to the fire

:22:36. > :22:39.rescue workers who put their lives in danger and the trauma they may

:22:40. > :22:44.still feel from that, I would like as a surgeon of over 30 years to

:22:45. > :22:47.highlight the NHS staff will also be traumatised because there is nothing

:22:48. > :22:52.more horrific than dealing with the victims of bones. In the Autumn

:22:53. > :22:58.Statement of 2015, the former Chancellor identified ?800 million

:22:59. > :23:02.that should be taken from the new housing bonus scheme to make up the

:23:03. > :23:10.shortfall in social care. Will the current Chancellor now reverse that?

:23:11. > :23:18.We need to be shorter from now on. Prime Minister. The honourable lady

:23:19. > :23:23.is right, as I said, I visited one of the hospitals which had taken in

:23:24. > :23:27.victims and those NHS staff did a wonderful job as well. Of course,

:23:28. > :23:31.what we have seen in London is NHS staff not only dealing with the

:23:32. > :23:35.Grenfell Tower disaster but also with the terrorist attacks that have

:23:36. > :23:39.taken place. As she said, it is those NHS staff who deserves

:23:40. > :23:45.support, as do others in the emergency services who have been

:23:46. > :23:49.referred to earlier. I speak as a representative of an area that has

:23:50. > :23:53.no tower blocks but the overwhelming wish of my constituents is for us to

:23:54. > :23:56.have timely implementation of any recommendations coming out of the

:23:57. > :24:02.public inquiry in a nonpartisan manner. And recognising this may

:24:03. > :24:06.come at a considerable cost to the public purse. Is the Prime Minister

:24:07. > :24:11.aware that across the country that is the will of many people? Yes, it

:24:12. > :24:14.is absolutely the case any recommendations that come out of the

:24:15. > :24:18.public inquiry, they will be recommendations about keeping people

:24:19. > :24:23.-- keeping people safe, and action will be taken. I am keen to

:24:24. > :24:35.accommodate remaining interests, but it must be PC. -- it must be pithily

:24:36. > :24:38.conveyed. In, two out, will that approach to the regulatory burden

:24:39. > :24:43.now be abandoned with regard to fire safety? I would say to that

:24:44. > :24:47.honourable lady that the issue of regulations, we have always taken

:24:48. > :24:52.the issue of regulations in relation to safety very, very seriously

:24:53. > :24:56.indeed. She might know that when I was Home Secretary, I was very clear

:24:57. > :24:59.it is not the case all regulation is bad regulation, there is good

:25:00. > :25:03.regulation which we need to ensure we get right and one of the issues

:25:04. > :25:07.from the public inquiry will be asking that very question about fire

:25:08. > :25:17.regulation. I congratulate her on her success this. She has agreed to

:25:18. > :25:21.alter the textbook for colleagues. It seems almost inconceivable and

:25:22. > :25:26.organisation spent ?8.7 million refurbishing a tower block and did

:25:27. > :25:29.not include inflammable cladding and a sprinkler system. When we have the

:25:30. > :25:36.outcome from the public inquiry, can she confirm there will be time made

:25:37. > :25:40.available in the House for necessary legislation? I think it would be

:25:41. > :25:43.appropriate for the House to have the opportunity to debate the

:25:44. > :25:48.outcome of the inquiry and to look at the issues. We will have to wrap

:25:49. > :25:55.up at ten past so we will do what we can before now and then. Residents

:25:56. > :26:01.of Grenfell Tower warned the housing provider of the dangers and that it

:26:02. > :26:06.would take a fire in a tower block for notice to be taken. Can I ask

:26:07. > :26:11.the Prime Minister to look at the Localism Act which currently

:26:12. > :26:14.requires residents to give it eight weeks before they can make a

:26:15. > :26:19.complaint to the ombudsman for this to be taken up through their members

:26:20. > :26:24.of Parliament? I am grateful for raising an issue which had not been

:26:25. > :26:27.raised with me before. I will look at the Localism Act. There are

:26:28. > :26:32.reasons why that period of time was put into the act. But she is right

:26:33. > :26:35.the issue of the response of the tenant management organisation is

:26:36. > :26:39.one of the ones that has been raised and it is one that needs to be

:26:40. > :26:44.looked at as the inquiry looks at the reasons for this. Would the

:26:45. > :26:49.results of the individual examinations to which she has

:26:50. > :26:53.referred over this issue be produced as they become available or will

:26:54. > :27:00.they all be subjected to the public examination and if it is the former,

:27:01. > :27:02.could we have a timetable for that? I assume my honourable friend is

:27:03. > :27:10.talking about the tests on the cladding question at yes? Regards

:27:11. > :27:14.those tests, as soon as the results are available, and the tests can be

:27:15. > :27:19.done within hours of the samples being received, they will

:27:20. > :27:26.immediately be informed as to the results of those tests. A single

:27:27. > :27:30.sentence and a short one. Fire sprinklers save lives, can I correct

:27:31. > :27:34.the Prime Minister? The inquest recommended the department issue

:27:35. > :27:37.guidance to all providers of high-rise blocks they should

:27:38. > :27:41.retrofit sprinklers. Can I ask the Prime Minister, there are 213 blocks

:27:42. > :27:47.with 10,000 households in Birmingham, will she agree now to

:27:48. > :27:51.act on the advice that was given four years ago, retrofit sprinklers

:27:52. > :27:57.and pay for it, the government to pay for it?

:27:58. > :28:09.The recommendation was that we encourage the owners to consider the

:28:10. > :28:13.retrofitting of sprinkler systems. Could I ask how will be enquiry also

:28:14. > :28:20.look at the safety of tall buildings, in which people work, as

:28:21. > :28:24.well as those in which people live? Yes, I think it's important that

:28:25. > :28:30.this enquiry, when it looks at the implications of the fire, actually

:28:31. > :28:32.assesses the those for all tall buildings, and indeed, we are

:28:33. > :28:38.ensuring we are looking at other tall buildings that may have been

:28:39. > :28:45.clad in a similar way, which may not be residential properties, but which

:28:46. > :28:49.may be used for other purposes. Can the Prime Minister tell us why she

:28:50. > :28:55.will not choose to show leadership and require all councils to retrofit

:28:56. > :29:01.and provide the resources? I have made the point earlier that what we

:29:02. > :29:04.need to ensure in any accommodation that is provided by local

:29:05. > :29:07.authorities or housing associations, is that the accommodation is safe.

:29:08. > :29:11.People are making assumptions about the work that needs to be done to

:29:12. > :29:17.ensure that. What needs to happen on the ground is the local authority or

:29:18. > :29:21.the housing association, the landlord working with the fire and

:29:22. > :29:29.rescue service to make sure they can provide that service. When the Prime

:29:30. > :29:36.Minister considers her suggestion, will she paid in mind the result of

:29:37. > :29:41.the floods in Gloucestershire, which was a single leader responsible for

:29:42. > :29:44.coordination of the groups and the media and information? We will

:29:45. > :29:48.consider that and it is putting that in place here with John Barrett deal

:29:49. > :29:54.as gold command, that has helped to move things forward and ensure the

:29:55. > :29:59.response has improved. Where an independent safety Fire review of a

:30:00. > :30:06.block of flats recommends retrofitting sprinklers or major

:30:07. > :30:11.refurbishment, will the government fund it? His question seemed to talk

:30:12. > :30:21.about any blocks of flats in the country, whether they be in private

:30:22. > :30:28.or public sector ownership. What we are doing is making sure, first of

:30:29. > :30:34.all, that the fire service and landlords ensure the safety, local

:30:35. > :30:39.authorities and says what is needed for the safety of those properties,

:30:40. > :30:41.and where action is needed and work is needed, the government will work

:30:42. > :30:48.with those landlords to make sure that can be done. The Prime Minister

:30:49. > :30:52.concluded by saying it was the government was my job to show it is

:30:53. > :30:56.listening. Wilshere listen to the experts in the Fire Brigades Union

:30:57. > :31:02.and reverse the cuts to the fire service and retrofit and close all

:31:03. > :31:07.high-rise residential accommodation? As I've already said in relation to

:31:08. > :31:11.the issue of sprinklers, some tests on retrofitting have been taken

:31:12. > :31:15.across the country, but it's not as simple as saying if you retrofit

:31:16. > :31:19.sprinklers, that's the one thing you need to do. There are a variety of

:31:20. > :31:25.ways that action needs to be taken and what needs to happen is the

:31:26. > :31:27.experts assess that for every block. The Communities Secretary has

:31:28. > :31:38.demanded that the chief executive of Kensington resign. That is a matter

:31:39. > :31:43.that will be decided by the appropriate group in the council. If

:31:44. > :31:46.Bristol council comes at the conclusion that essential work is

:31:47. > :31:52.needed on its tower blocks, will the government funded and if so, how

:31:53. > :31:55.soon can we get the money? If, in conjunction with the Fire and rescue

:31:56. > :32:01.service, the decision is made that work needs to be done on those tower

:32:02. > :32:04.blocks, then there will then be a discussion between the authority and

:32:05. > :32:09.the Department for Communities and Local Government on how that work

:32:10. > :32:13.can be undertaken and the provision of resources for that work. I know

:32:14. > :32:16.the Prime Minister believes politicians should be accountable

:32:17. > :32:20.for their actions are in actions, so has she told the leader of

:32:21. > :32:24.Kensington and Chelsea Council that he should go, because of the

:32:25. > :32:31.appalling way this tragedy has been handled? I have had a conversation

:32:32. > :32:36.with him. I told him he needed to make sure residents and victims and

:32:37. > :32:39.survivors of this terrible disaster were being given the help and

:32:40. > :32:42.support they needed. We have now put more help and support in to make

:32:43. > :32:48.sure that is happening on the ground. In terms of paying more

:32:49. > :32:54.attention to social housing going forward, will the Prime Minister

:32:55. > :33:02.pledged to review the right to buy discount policy, which implies that

:33:03. > :33:08.renting is not aspirational enough. If he looks at the housing white

:33:09. > :33:11.paper reproduced earlier this year, he will see with very clear that we

:33:12. > :33:16.expect this to be a diversity of ways in which people will be in

:33:17. > :33:21.their homes. Some wish to own their homes, some wish to rent, some will

:33:22. > :33:25.wish to have rented by our shared ownership. I want to see a diversity

:33:26. > :33:33.that is its people and their circumstances. Fire stations in my

:33:34. > :33:36.constituency are closing as a result of government cuts. The government

:33:37. > :33:42.take action now and increase funding? What is happening across

:33:43. > :33:46.the country is Fire services are ensuring they have the appropriate

:33:47. > :33:50.response to a fire as they are dealing with. What was abortion here

:33:51. > :33:58.in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire is it was search and rescue as

:33:59. > :34:03.well as the London Fire Brigade, the resources were there they were able

:34:04. > :34:08.to take the they took. Short sentence. Thank you. I've heard a

:34:09. > :34:12.lot of abuse of the word encouragement today. In my

:34:13. > :34:17.experience, the word encouragement is not necessarily useful one were

:34:18. > :34:20.talking about something of this magnitude and a tragedy. Markets

:34:21. > :34:25.stall work with encouragement, they work with regulation. Can I suggest,

:34:26. > :34:30.there has been an explosion in a number of student properties built

:34:31. > :34:34.in recent years, in the private sector. It's incumbent on the

:34:35. > :34:39.government to make it mandatory that is not just the public sector but

:34:40. > :34:45.also the private sector to use their facilities and test doggies

:34:46. > :34:52.properties? There are regulations in place, fire safety and building

:34:53. > :34:58.regulations. We are ensuring that facilities are available, we're

:34:59. > :35:02.doing that free of charge. I say once again, local authorities and

:35:03. > :35:05.housing associations are indeed setting examples in that encourage

:35:06. > :35:09.them to do so and others to do so as well. The facilities were checking

:35:10. > :35:14.are available to the devolved administrations as well. Can the

:35:15. > :35:18.Prime Minister as show me she will work with the devolved

:35:19. > :35:21.administrations on the lesson learning process, including with

:35:22. > :35:25.their Welsh government which is announced an expert group to do just

:35:26. > :35:33.that. We are already talking to the devolved administrations and we will

:35:34. > :35:37.continue to do so. Landlords do not always know who occupies their

:35:38. > :35:41.properties and the vulnerabilities of certain tenants. But the Prime

:35:42. > :35:46.Minister 's ensure we investigate opportunities for data sharing

:35:47. > :35:51.between local authorities and other groups? She has raised an

:35:52. > :35:56.interesting issue about ensuring, and I think this is sometimes at the

:35:57. > :36:00.heart of it, that people who are interacting with various government

:36:01. > :36:04.departments, that the service the government gives them is focused on

:36:05. > :36:11.their needs and identifies their particular needs. Consider the issue

:36:12. > :36:15.she raises about data-sharing. According to Home Office figures,

:36:16. > :36:19.the number of checks has fallen by 25%, the home fire safety checks,

:36:20. > :36:27.since 2010. Will the Prime Minister now give the service the funding it

:36:28. > :36:31.needs so that 100% of the checks are done? The Fire and Rescue service do

:36:32. > :36:42.conduct checks, they do that in relation to residential buildings in

:36:43. > :36:46.conjunction with the landlords. Some of the checks will be conducted by

:36:47. > :36:55.landlords themselves. But the Prime Minister meet urgently with the Fire

:36:56. > :36:58.and Rescue Service, because the advice given to the residents of

:36:59. > :37:04.Grenfell Tower to stay in their flats may have been erroneous? They

:37:05. > :37:08.have representation at the meetings have been shading in relation to the

:37:09. > :37:12.response to Grenfell Tower. The issue of advice given to residents

:37:13. > :37:21.has been raised with them. This is a matter that will meet consideration.

:37:22. > :37:24.Can I ask that an assessment is carried out into the capacity of the

:37:25. > :37:32.fire service to respond to incidents like this, particularly with

:37:33. > :37:36.reference to appliances. The first service was able to respond to this,

:37:37. > :37:43.but when the enquiry looks at this, I'd expect that to be something they

:37:44. > :37:47.would consider. There are 32 tower blocks in Northern Ireland. When it

:37:48. > :37:52.comes to lessons learned and suggestions and recommendations,

:37:53. > :37:57.that the Northern Ireland Housing service will be made aware of those.

:37:58. > :38:02.I hope that the Northern Ireland assembly and executive will be

:38:03. > :38:11.formed, such as though in a position for us to give that information to

:38:12. > :38:16.them. Thank you to colleagues and the Prime Minister for the

:38:17. > :38:21.corporation. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, secretary

:38:22. > :38:26.Amber Road. With permission, I'd like to make a statement about the

:38:27. > :38:31.terrorist attacks we have seen since Parliament last sat. There has been

:38:32. > :38:35.no summer like it. When we rose seven weeks ago, we left this house

:38:36. > :38:38.in the wake of the worst terrorist attack our country had seen in over

:38:39. > :38:39.a decade. With