Grenfell Fire Statement House of Commons

Welcome to BBC Parliament's live coverage of the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister will make a statement on the Grenfell Tower

disaster in the few minutes. At least 79 people are thought to have

been killed. The Home Secretary Amber Rudd will then make a

statement on the recent terror attacks in Manchester, London

Bridge, and Finsbury Park. Andrea Leadsom will then make a statement

on the forthcoming business in the chamber. The main business today is

the second day of the Queen's speech. Other manifesto proposals

include a means testing the winter fuel allowance has been dropped. The

vote on the Queen's speech is expected next Thursday at 5pm. There

will be a round-up of the Day in both Houses of Parliament at 11pm

tonight. All members wishing to take their

seats please come to the table. I swear by all mighty God that I will

be true allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen so help me God.

I affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law. So

help me God. Statement, the Prime Minister. With

permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the disaster

at Grenfell Tower. I would like to start by apologising to the Leader

of the Opposition for the short notice he has had of this statement.

I received an important update in the hour before making this

statement which I felt was essential to bring to the attention of the

House this morning. What happened in the early hours of last Wednesday

morning was one of the most unimaginable tragedy is our country

has seen in many years. As of this morning, 79 people have been

confirmed dead or listed as missing presumed dead, and with work still

ongoing to recover the bodies, sadly the death toll may rise further. We

already know that many children are among the dead, and that in some

cases, whole families have perished. Those who survived have lost loved

ones, friends, neighbours, and in many cases, everything they own. It

should never have happened. In a few moments I will say how we will

discover why it did. That initial failure was then compounded by the

fact that the support on the ground in the initial Iris was not good

enough. As Prime Minister, I have apologised for that failure and

taken responsibility for what we can to put it right. On my first visit

to North Kensington, I met with the emergency services. These

extraordinary men and women put their lives on the line to save

others, and my first responsibility was to check they had all the

resources they needed. I then visited Chelsea and Westminster

Hospital, where I met some of the most seriously injured survivors. It

was from that experience that I decided we had to have an emergency

fund. I also met a group of residents at Kensington who I

invited to come to Downing Street last weekend. I returned to

Kensington last night to hear directly from them about the

progress being made. What became clear very quickly is that the Royal

Borough of Kensington and Chelsea could not cope, and it is right that

the chief executive officer has now resigned. It is also why I set up

the Grenfell Tower recovery task force, which I have been cheering

personally. But this is not just about the steps we take in the first

few weeks. -- which I have been chairing personally. Let me set out

in detail the steps that we are taking to support the victims and

rehouse those who have lost their homes. On Friday morning, the

Government established a central command centre. On the half of the

whole House, I want to thank the team for all the work they are

doing. -- on behalf. I also want to pay to beat the fantastic response

from London boroughs, as well as the Mayor of London, and leading figures

from a number of councils outside London. I want to thank the army of

volunteers who stepped in to provide shelter, sustenance, comfort and

practical support, and I want to thank my Communities Secretary and

the ministers for housing and planning, the Minister for London,

and the Minister for policing and the Fire Service for the work they

have been doing. There are currently around 600 people working on the

site and then the immediate area who are working to provide support to

the victims. A sports centre has been transformed into an emergency

committee hub, staffed by 40 officials from six Government

departments. They are ensuring that people have essential documents like

driving licences and passports that are fundamental to carrying on with

their lives. They have also been joined by experts from transport for

London, citizens advice and the Red Cross, NHS mental health staff, and

AGP. Anyone affected by the police can walk in and access the support

they need, and so far there have been over 700 visits to the centre.

The victim support unit has an emergency helpline which provides a

single point of contact for victims who need to deal with multiple

Government services in the way of the disaster. Each family whose home

was destroyed has received a ?5,000 down payment from the emergency fund

to buy food, clothes, and other essentials. We are working to ensure

that everyone gets the money they are untitled two. Additional adults

over 16 in these houses are being paid ?500 in cash. As of midday on

Wednesday, we had made payments of over ?700,000. It is absolutely

essential, Mr Speaker, that people understand they can keep the money

they receive. These grants are not loans, and they will not be expected

to repay a single penny. Neither are the waiving any legal rights as a

result of accepting this financial help. The payments will be

disregarded for means tested welfare payments, so nobody in receipt of

benefits will see their benefits cut to the except emergency support. And

I would like to reassure people that we will not use this tragic incident

as a reason to carry out immigration checks on those involved or on those

providing vital information to identify victims are assisting with

the criminal investigation. We will make sure that all victims,

irrespective of their immigration status, will be able to access the

services they need including health care and accommodation. In terms of

local schools, Kensington Aldridge Academy, the school next door to the

tower, remains closed. Always pupils have already been accommodated at

other schools in the area. The Department for Education is ensuring

that children who are sitting there GCSEs receive an appropriate exam

dispensation. Counselling has been offered to local schoolchildren and

two teachers affected by the fire. Turning to the housing, 151 homes

were destroyed in the fire, most in the tower itself, but also several

in the immediate facility. All those who have lost their homes have been

offered emergency Hotel accommodation and all will be

offered the housing within three weeks. Already, 164 suitable

properties have been identified, and they are being checked and made

ready for people to move into. In the longer term, everyone who's home

was destroyed will be guaranteed a new home on the same terms as those

lost. 68 of those will be in a new low-rise block which has just been

built. The developer has generously offered to turn over the entire

block at cost price. Contractors are on site now working 20 47 to ensure

that the first families can move in as soon as possible. -- are working

24/7. Emergency hotel accommodation is available for everyone who does

not want to maintain in a damaged property, and over 100 hotel rooms

have already been provided. We are also putting in place practical

support to help accelerate necessary repairs and yesterday drew on

support from the army to assist with this. Some survivors have said they

want to leave the local area, and we will of course support that and help

them to find a home elsewhere, but I want to be absolutely clear, nobody

is forced to move somewhere they do not want to go. And if any

honourable member thinks they know of someone being treated in this

way, they should contract -- contact my office in Downing Street with the

details. We quickly decided there had to be an independent public

enquiry as the scale of the disaster became clear. As I said to the House

yesterday, it will be chaired by a judge to discover who was

responsible and to provide justice for the victims and their families

who suffered so terribly. All of those with an interest including

victims and their families will be consulted and we will provide help

for those affected. It became clear that they want support to come

together as a group, to have their voices heard, and the Government

will play its part in helping them to do so. For too long, residents

have been overlooked and ignored, but we will ensure that they are

involved in every step of this process. No stone will be left

unturned in this enquiry, and for any guilty parties there will be

nowhere to hide. I expect the chair of the enquiry will want to

I know many others living in tall residential buildings will have

concerns about safety after what happened at Grenfell Tower. All

social landlords have been instructed to carry out additional

safety checks on powered blocks and ensure appropriate measures are in

place -- tower blocks. This is being done in cooperation with local Fire

And Rescue Services. We have also taken steps to make private

landlords aware. The House should be careful and speculating what caused

the fire but as a precaution the Government has arranged to test

cladding in all relevant tower blocks. Before I came to the

Chamber, I was informed a number have come back as combustible. The

relevant local authorities and Fire Services have been informed and as I

speak they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe

and to inform affected residents. Immediately after this statement,

the Department for Communities and Local Government will contact any

MPs Fuchs constituents are affected and the Communities Secretary will

provide a further update later today -- whose constituents. We contest

over 100 buildings a day and the results come in hours. I urge any

landlord to send samples for testing as soon as possible. Any results

will be communicated immediately to local authorities and local Fire

Services. Landlords have a legal obligation to provide safe buildings

and where they cannot do that, we expect alternative accommodation to

be provided. We cannot and will not ask people to live in unsafe homes.

It is clear the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea were not able

to cope with the scale of the tragedy so we will also develop a

new strategy which could include a new task force that can help at

times of emergency. We must learn some of the lessons of this and

previous disasters were bereaved families have not had the support

they need so we will introduce an independent public advocate for

public disasters, a strong independent voice for victims acting

on behalf of bereaved families and supporting them at public inquests

and inquiries. Mr Speaker, in the past week, a lot of remarkable

people have gone above and beyond to help deal with the fire and its

aftermath. First and foremost, of course, the incredible men and women

of the emergency services who did so much to save so many lives. I cannot

imagine the kind of bravery it takes to run into a burning building and

head upstairs when any normal person would head for the exit. We have

also seen sterling work from people across the public sector, teachers,

nurses, staff from local authorities, civil servants, doing

all they can to help. We have seen incredible acts of generosity from

private businesses and the people of this great city and country have

stepped up to help in any way they can, donating money, clothes, toys

and food, volunteering time and so much more. Above all, I want to pay

tribute to the people of Kensington, they have opened their hearts and

homes to people affected, coming together and showing what a real

community looks like. The selfless actions of local people and the

courage and resilience of the survivors should give us all pause

for thought. Right now, our focus is on supporting the victims, finding

homes for those made homeless, making sure this country's housing

stock is as safe as possible. As we move forward, so we must also

recognise that for too long in our country and the governments of both

colours, we have not given enough attention to social housing and this

is a symptom of an even more fundamental issue. It should not

take a disaster of this kind for us to remember there are people in

Britain today living lives so far removed from those that many in

Westminster enjoy. In this tower a few miles away in the heart of our

great city, people live a fundamentally different life, they

do not feel the state works for them and they are mistrustful of it

therefore. Long after the TV cameras have gone and the world has moved

on, let the legacy of this awful tragedy be that we resolve never to

forget these people and instead to clear policies and thinking towards

making their lives better and bringing them into the political

process. It is our job as the government and I believe as a

parliament to show we are listening and that we will stand up for them.

That is what I am determined we should do and I commend this

statement to the house. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Jeremy Corbyn.

Thank you. I acknowledge the Prime Minister's apology for the late

arrival of her statement to my office but I understand the reasons

for it. I met with the survivors at Grenfell Tower, as have a number of

colleagues in the House, and very inspiring following the NEET

volunteers -- inspiring volunteers. There is grief, anger and great

solidarity in that community. I hope the whole House will join with me in

commending the community spirit and public support which helped so many

traumatised families and the amazing response so many local people and

faith groups who rushed to the scene to give clothing, food, help, and to

provide an online restaurant for just about anybody who was helping

with the disaster relief. Our love, condolences and solidarity goes out

to those families again today and in what will be the very difficult days

and weeks ahead and for many, a lifetime reliving the trauma of that

dreadful night. They were, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, let

down, both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand.

The public inquiry must establish the extent and by whom at least 79

people are dead. It is both a tragedy and an outrage because every

single one of those deaths could and should have been avoided. The

Grenfell Tower residents themselves have raised concerns about the lack

of fire safety in the block. The action group had warned, and I

quote, it is a truly terrifying thought but the action group firmly

believes that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and

incompetence of our landlord, the Kensington and Chelsea tenant

management organisation. The Prime Minister said it is right that the

CEO of Kensington and Chelsea council has now resigned, it may be,

but why aren't the political leaders of Kensington and Chelsea taking

responsibility as well for this dreadful event? From Hillsborough to

the child sex abuse scandal, the Grenfell Tower, the pattern is

consistent. Working-class voices are ignored, concerns dismissed by those

in power. The Grenfell Tower residents and North Kensington

community deserve answers and thousands and thousands of people

living in tower blocks around the country need very urgent

reassurance. Our very brave firefighters must never have to deal

with such a horrific incident again. The Prime Minister is right when she

talks about the bravery of firefighters running into a burning

building, I have spoken to firefighters on many occasions, but

they are overstretched and they are traumatised, traumatised by dealing

with London Bridge, traumatised by Grenfell Tower, yet they carry on

doing it, overstretched and understaffed. We need to look at the

whole issue of the security of our Fire Service. Those of us, Mr

Speaker, with over 30 years experience in this House will have

struggled as constituency MPs under the pressure generated by an

incident of the scale, but as I said yesterday, my friend, the member for

Kensington, deserves praise for the tireless and diligent way she has

stood up for her constituents in the short time since she was thankfully

elected to the House. The public inquiry must address firstly the

appalling failure of the fire alarms at Grenfell Tower which meant many

residents reported they were only alerted to that fire by the screams

of neighbours and young Muslim men who had broken from prayers to

Ballon D'Or is to try to save lives. And -- to banging on doors to try to

save lives. And whether the advice given to stay in homes was correct

and what advice should be given to people living in the 4000 other

tower blocks living in this country in the event of a similar disaster.

Why sprinklers were not installed and whether they should be

retrofitted into old tower blocks. We need urgent answers to that

question. And whether the cladding was illegal, as the Chancellor has

suggested, and whether it should be banned entirely and what other

urgent changes should be made to building regulations. As the Prime

Minister indicated in her statement, this is obviously being urgently

addressed. We also need to address the fire prevention regulations

including the frequency and enforcement of fire safety checks

because it is my suspicion that many local authorities strapped for cash

after seven years of cuts have cut back on fire testing, cut back on

inspections because they simply have not got the staff to do it any more.

And whether the tenant management organisation is responsive enough to

their tenants and what greater powers tenants need in council,

social housing or the private sector to ensure their own safety. Whether

survivors and people evacuated from adjacent property were rehoused

promptly and adequately. The Prime Minister has addressed some of that.

I would be interested in her response to those that lived nearby

who themselves are equally traumatised by the event and of

course they should be rehoused within the borough and I hope there

will be no increase in their rent. The inquiry must also address the

resources available to the Fire and Rescue Service and whether response

times and capacity are adequate for all areas of the country. The number

of wards in which response time targets are not being met has

increased tenfold since 2011. Lessons must be learnt in the public

inquiry and they disaster that should never have happened must

never happen again. The Government must delay no longer and now

implement the recommendations of the 2013 inquiry report into the Lakanal

House fire. The inquiry must establish whether lives could have

been saved if those recommendations had been implemented in full and if

the recommendations of the all-party parliamentary group had been heeded

by government. Fire safety measures cannot be left to a postcode

lottery. I ask the Government to make available emergency funds as my

honourable friend raised yesterday, so that councils can carry out

immediate fire safety checks and install sprinklers and the timetable

for that would be made known to residents. There is a huge cost

involved in removing and re-cladding blocks found to have flammable

materials included in them. That money must be made available

immediately because it is a huge job of work and when the Prime Minister

says that those people in danger must be moved out of their

properties, this is a massive undertaking and a huge focus of

government resources will have to go into it. Will the Prime Minister

ensure the counselling and mental health services she referred to as

going on at the Westway sports centre now are available to all

residents at Grenfell Tower and of the remaining areas around there and

those who witnessed it on the Lancaster West estate including

those in the emergency services who have been through such trauma? It is

important in the days and weeks after the tragedy, but it has to go

on for a long time. This trauma does not end a few days afterwards. The

public inquiry must report as soon as possible and changes that can and

should have been made must now be made without delay. We have to be

aware that this has been a wake-up call to the whole country. The fire

at Grenfell Tower has taken the lives of people who should be with

us and alive and happy today. Residents of tower blocks all over

the country are concerned, worried and frightened for their own safety.

What we need is a step change in our attitude towards housing, to deal

with the permanent housing crisis that so many of our constituents and

residents face, and we need government intervention to support

local authorities bringing about safe solutions to the housing

crisis. So that this tragedy can at least change our attitudes and at

least saved, as a country, we are seriously going to address the

housing situation that so many people face, those people have died,

they will never come back. We have to learned those lessons to make

sure this tragedy is a turning point in our whole attitude and never

again do people die needlessly in a towering Inferno living in poverty

surrounded by a sea of prosperity. Thank you. May I first joined the

Leader of the Opposition in commending the work of his new

honourable friend, the member for Kensington? I am sure we can all

remember our first few days as a Member of Parliament and getting to

grips with it, to have to deal with a disaster and tragedy of this sort

in your constituency so early on, it must have been very difficult, but I

commend the honourable lady for the work she has done. The right

honourable gentleman raised a number of issues, many of which will be

matters for the inquiry to get to grips with. The responsibility in

relation to this issue, some of the issues around the advice given by

the Fire Service, all of these will be issues the inquiry I would expect

to address and as I said in my statement, we want to ensure we are

able to provide justice to the victims and survivors of this

terrible tragedy that has taken place. I do expect the chairman of

the inquiry or chair will produce an interim report so we see early

lessons. I think it is important as soon as we know there is anything

that needs to be learnt and dressed and acted on, that we know that as

soon as possible and we take action as soon as possible.

He referred to the issue of the coroner 's report in 2013. All of

the recommendations from that enquiry have been acted on. I think

it is in Portland to recognise that the Lakanal House coroner did not

propose any changes that have not been acted on. On the question of

the housing, we will be offering the housing in the borough or in

neighbouring boroughs. We have 164 properties that have already been

identified and are being looked at. A significant number of people have

already been assessed for their housing needs, and some have already

been offered housing. It is up to them as to whether they accept that

or if other properties need to be offered to them, but that process is

in hand, and I have set that three-week commitment that people

will be rehoused within three weeks. The tenant management organisation

which the Leader of the Opposition mentioned is an issue that has come

across loud and clear to me with my conversations with local residents.

One of the first acts of the new chief executive of Kensington and

Chelsea Council will be to look at any action that needs to be taken

there. And then the Leader of the Opposition referred to other

instances, Hillsborough, and the child sexual abuse enquiry. I was

pleased to be able to work with families from Hillsborough. They

should have had justice at a far earlier stage but the issues are

ongoing in terms of the Crown Prosecution Service looking at any

potential criminal charges. But we have been able to provide the

Hillsborough families with an opportunity for the truth, for them

to know the truth of what happened to their loved ones, and for the

public to know the truth of Hillsborough. I was also pleased to

set up the child sexual abuse enquiry because when I setup that

enquiry, I said for too long, people have made assumptions about certain

people in our society and how they should be treated, and those

assumptions are wrong. We need to find out why that has happened and

we need to change it. I am keen to accommodate the level of interest in

this subject. There is a premium upon brevity. Mr Iain Duncan Smith.

I welcome the Prime Minister's statement and also welcome the

actions she said she is going to take and the Government will take.

Our prayers go out to all those who suffer so terribly and will continue

to suffer in the days to come. I would like to ask her to add to the

public enquiry one further remit, and that is to look at whether or

not this whole process of retrofitting these old tower blocks

is in fact viable at all, and whether or not there is a better way

to both House and support tenants in these areas without the use of many

of these incredibly badly designed and very faulty tower blocks. And

could she ask the public enquiry to look carefully at whether or not it

is feasible now to bring some of these down and improve more family

friendly housing. I am grateful to my right honourable friend for his

remarks. He is suggesting that the enquiry should go a great deal

further than looking into this particular instance. I think what is

important, and we will ensure that the survivors and local residents

have an input into the terms of reference for this enquiry to ensure

that it is an enquiry they can have confidence in and that they know

will produce the justice that the need. I think we need to... I will

reflect on my right honourable friend's comments, and it will get

to the truth as we need it. Mr Ian Blackford. We welcome the

opportunity of the Prime Minister's statement this morning. We can all

reflect on the scene is that we walk up to last week, the horror of those

that were living in the tower or the pain that they must have gone

through. I want to also thank the members of the emergency services,

putting their lives on the line and we all a tremendous debt of

gratitude to them. Lee on these benches want to work with the

Government on these matters. Last week was a defining moment in the

evolution of our society. Can I say to the Prime Minister, respectfully,

she has apologised to the Leader of the Opposition for the short notice,

but it should also be to the third-party, and indeed all parties

represented in this House. The Prime Minister said in her statement that

the support on the ground was not good enough. Can I ask that through

the public enquiry, if there are recommendations that are made,

changes that have to be made, that the Government will accept those.

Secondly, on the ?5 million which has been put into the emergency

fund, if this is not sufficient, will be Government committed to

doing what it needs to to make sure that the appropriate resources are

available. I welcome the Prime Minister saying that the new housing

block that has been built will be made available for some of the

families. She talks about families moving in over the summer. Can she

be more specific about when this will happen? And can be make sure

that those families who do wish to live in the local area have that

commitment that housing will be made available on the basis that there

will be consultation, and that if the first offer is not acceptable,

alternatives can be put in place? Will be Prime Minister agree that

the public enquiry should include all the steps that were not taken in

the lead up to this incident? This has to include the bereaved

families, survivors as well as individuals, and organisations with

the residents' campaign. This needs to be about Parliament recognising

the significance of what has happened here. We can never be, as a

country, in this position again, and I welcome the remarks made by the

Prime Minister about social housing. Let's make sure that social housing

is something we invest in. I grew up in a social House, I remember fondly

my childhood, and I want people to have the same opportunities that we

can all be proud of. Thank you, Mr Speaker, and perhaps I could take

this opportunity in responding to the honourable gentleman to make it

clear that the testing facilities I mentioned earlier are opened to the

devolved administrations as well, so I would also coverage was in the

devolved administrations, anybody that has any buildings of this sort

to send samples in so they can be tested. He asked about the ?5

million fund. It will be made available. Something like 700,000

has already been paid out, and further monies will be paid out, but

we will be looking at that some overtime. Regarding the housing

development, the plans have been relaxed to enable work to take place

over a longer as ours so we work can be speeded up. They could be

available by the end of July, but that is dependent on the work being

completed. He asked about issues around the enquiry. It is important,

it is absolutely crucial, that the enquiry looks at how this happened

and part of that will be looking at what led up to the fire, and the

response to the fire, the immediate response, and the aftermath. We need

to know why this happened and who was responsible for it. But of

course, the judge who will be chairing the enquiry, will have a

role in determining how that enquiry is handled in terms of the witnesses

that he wishes to take and so forth. But as I said, I am very clear that

we need this enquiry to have -- people need to be able to have full

confidence in this enquiry and residents need to know that that is

will meet their needs. Will be Prime Minister encourage local authorities

to follow the lead set by Barnet Council with an immediate inspection

of their high-rise blocks? New safety measures to be guided by the

Fire Service and to include sprinklers fear these are needed. I

thank my right honourable friend to join out to the attention of the

House. I commend Barnet Council for the action they have taken. I hope

every local authority will undertake these tests as they have been asked

to do, and they will ensure the safety of the properties on which

they are accommodating people. I thank the Prime Minister for her

kind words, words which must be followed by deeds. Speaking on

behalf of a traumatised and frightened community, who have

little trust in authority, hourly reports suggest that there may have

been issues with fire safety audits and fire safety regulations were not

sufficiently robust. While we wait for the results of the enquiry,

which I hope will not be too long, will the Prime Minister commit to

adequate funds to enable emergency services, particularly the London

Fire Brigade, to be fully funded to carry out this work and reverse the

cuts to the Fire Services that have made their lives so difficult? These

people have quite literally our lives in their hands. In short,

clear as the funding? -- where is the funding? When I spoke to the

emergency services on my first visit to Kensington, I asked if they had

the resources they needed to do the job that they were doing. They

assured me that they did. Obviously the question of the... The question

of what the enquiry will look into in relation to this matter, they

will obviously have to look at as I have just said, had the whole

question of how this was possible that this could happen. The issue

around... I am sure that the enquiry will look at the tests taken place

on the tower and the adequacy of those tests and the adequacy of any

response to those issues. I want the enquiry to find out these things as

soon as because that could have invitations for other local

authorities and four other blocks around the country. I would like to

publicly congratulate the honourable lady on her election to the House,

albeit in the most grave and Tron attic circumstances, and the first

newly elected member to put a question in this chamber to be Prime

Minister. I congratulate the honourable lady on her contribution.

I want to thank the Prime Minister for her statement and the

reassurance she has provided, and to thank my own two bonus for providing

reassurance to residents -- boroughs. People will fear the

impatience of a proper public enquiry for the same people there

are likely to be people in the community affected. That scepticism

will be there for obvious reasons, so I want to ask the Prime Minister

of she will say a little more about the terms of reference for the

public enquiry and explain how local residents will have meaningful input

into it. I think it is important that it is an enquiry led by a

judge. The judge will be completely independent and it will be up to

them to determine which witnesses will be called and how they will

manage the enquiry. It is very important because we want people to

have the confidence of knowing that when the enquiry reports, it will be

bringing the truth out. We'll so want people to have the confidence

to know that actions that arise from the importations of the enquiry will

be taken. And those who are responsible will be held to account.

In relation to the terms of reference, as I have said, residents

will be involved. The process at the moment is looking at how it is

possible to do that. The judge will themselves want to reflect on how

they want to speak to residents, but the message I have had from

residents in bringing together a survivors group as a single voice is

a very important one and will be a helpful one in this regard. I thank

the Prime Minister for her statement. I think the news that she

has given the House today that the cladding was indeed combustible and

having been tested it showed it was combustible, is chilling news and

will be horrifying confirmation of what we all saw on our television

screens. It will be even more frightening... There are 58 tower

blocks in my constituency, thousands all around the country. Can I

suggest, as Prime Minister, that she gets a grip on this personally right

away, and that what she does is... I am just been to make a suggestion,

if I may. What she does is use Cobra to pull together and require all

local authorities within a certain time frame to check the cladding on

every one of their tower blocks? If she has done that, I look forward to

hearing the timescale. To call together all local authorities to

have a requirement on them to check every cladding on every tower block,

to give them the resources to do that inspection within a certain

timescale, to commit the resources to replace the cladding within a

certain timescale where others find it is combustible. I think that is

exactly what's Cobra should be done for, and it is not good enough to

just congratulate or encourage other councils, she must take a grip on it

personally. She said that the Lakanal House coroner's inquest

findings had been acted on, but I would tell her that they have not.

The coroner in 2013 in Lakanal House said that those deaths were

avoidable, there should have been sprinklers, there should have been

changing the fire instructions and there should be greater supervision

of contracts and fire inspection. She said it was an unimaginable

tragedy and that those debts should not have happened. They would not

have happened if the Government had acted on the Lakanal House coroner's

inquests rulings. Can I clarify what I said in my

statement? I said local authorities had been invited to send in samples

of cladding from similar buildings, some of those samples had been found

to be combustible. It was in relation to that testing are used

the term combustible. It is important I do that because we had

taken, as she suggested, the precautionary measure immediately of

asking local authorities, all local authorities, to identify blocks with

similar cladding, and to take measures together with local Fire

And Rescue Services to ensure people within those buildings were safe,

part of that process has been about the testing, and as I say, we stand

ready to continue to test for all local authorities who wish to send

in samples. The description of the coroner's report from Lakanal House,

the coroner did not, as I understand it, so there should be sprinklers

and every one of these types of properties, but what is important is

that... What underpinned what she was saying was the necessity of

making sure people living in similar blocks are able to feel reassured

about their safety. We have taken the steps, local authorities have

been working with Fire And Rescue Services, we are now going back

after the results of these tests of cladding are being given back to

local authorities, they are immediately acting to ensure the

safety of people. There are a number of steps we can undertake and we

expect them to do what is necessary. In recent years, London has seen

many high-quality high-rises being built, often financed with hot

foreign money and left empty for years, sometimes with the kitchens

covered clingfilm and pristine, and while we understand there are

occasions when a landlord will need to leave an apartment empty from

time to time, when brand-new properties are empty for many years,

does the Prime Minister think it is right to discuss with the Chancellor

changing the taxation regime so that as in New York City these people

face punitive taxation? He raises an interesting point and he has taken a

long interest in issues relating to housing in his time in this House.

Understand in fact the number of empty homes is at low levels at the

moment and of course we always look to see what we can do, what we want

to ensure its people are housed and properties are being used for the

purpose for which they have been built. The building regulations fit

for purpose, we should all be protected from fire. What assurance

can the Prime Minister give the review of building regulations, as

recommended by the Lakanal House coroner, will be done as urgently as

possible and that the building regulations advisory committee,

which historically has undertaken this work, be recalled as a matter

of urgency? This could be done in tandem with the public inquiry, it

does not have to wait until the end of it. The honourable gentleman,

obviously with his background, has a particular interest in these issues,

the coroner's recommendation was in relation not to changing the

regulations but the guidance that followed the regulations. That work

is indeed in hand. My understanding is the fire regulations have not

been changed since 2006. The public inquiry will want to look at this as

one of the issues they address. The amount of remedial work that may

need to be carried out on a limited timescale will possibly mean great

pressures fall on the workforce capable of carrying out this

remedial work, will the Prime Minister ensure her colleagues in

government make all the necessary funds and resources available if we

need to recruit or train further personnel to carry out the remedial

work on those blocks that failed the tests? My right honourable friend

raises a very important point, we need to ensure the voices are there

in every sense for the work that is necessary and we are looking at a

variety of ways to ensure that is indeed the case. All members of this

House across this House will have men toured unemployed and want to

see flourish young people. My wife principally and I employed and

encouraged and mentored a young woman called Khadija Saye who lost

her life with her mother on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower. I spoke to

her father on Tuesday and he described with anguish, obviously,

losing his only daughter and we had a discussion about how he would cope

in going to the mortuary to visit his daughter in the state that

clearly she is in. On their behalf, and all of the people that died, I

urge the Prime Minister to say something more about the criminal

investigation that was announced last week. She has talked about the

public inquiry. But she understands that most people see this as a crime

and they know that rich and powerful organisations get away with crime.

Can she say what resources have been brought to bear for the Metropolitan

Police? How big are the teams? Why is it we have not had any commentary

about charges, arrests or the seizure of documents? Can I first of

all say how sorry I am to hear the right honourable gentleman has lost

somebody, a friend, in this terrible tragedy? There are obviously many

people in that position but it brings it home to this House and

right into this Chamber. He mentioned the issue of bereavement,

if I could mention there is a family bereavement centre now opened which

provides a suitable place in which people can be counselled in relation

to this matter. And there is a great deal of thought and care being

undertaken in relation to those families who will obviously be

wanting to see bodies of those who have died in the fire, this is a

very sensitive and difficult matter, as I am sure all members will

recognise, and every action is being taken to do this as sensitively and

thoughtfully as possible with the consideration of those who have lost

loved ones. In relation to the criminal investigation, it has been

opened by the Metropolitan Police. He invites me to comment on that in

a whole variety of ways. As he will know, it is an operational matter

for the Met Police, it is for them to determine any point at which they

have evidence which could lead to prosecutions or charges. We must let

the Met do their job, they are doing it carefully, properly, but I can

assure him and others that they will get to the truth and they will leave

no stone unturned and if there are charges and prosecutions to be made,

they will be. I attended a group, and understandably heated group

discussion with local residents in the shadow of Grenfell Tower

yesterday evening and there seemed to be confusion about the coroner's

recommendation is in terms of retrofitting of sprinklers. The

right honourable lady from Camberwell and Peckham is also

unclear on this. The coroner recommended we should encourage

housing providers to retrofit, despite the fact that the royal

borough of Kensington and Chelsea did not carry out this ?8.7 million

refurbishment -- did carry out this ?8.7 million refurbishment, they did

not retrofit sprinklers. Agreed that should be incentives for local

authorities to retrofit when they carry out these kinds of

refurbishment is? My honourable friend has rightly identified the

recommendation the coroner made which was that encouragement be

given to landlords to retrofit sprinklers. But I would just say the

members of this House that the situation is not as easy as perhaps

it would appear in that in not all cases will it be the case that the

retrofitting of sprinklers is actually going to be the thing that

makes the difference. There are a whole variety of reasons why that

may be the case. Some work has been undertaken on testing retrofitting

of sprinklers into a number of tower blocks in different parts of the

country. It is not just, as I say, a question of assuming you can go in

and do it and it will automatically work and do the job necessary. It is

an issue that has been looked at and continues to be looked at but it

needs to be done carefully to ensure any work that is done or is required

is genuinely going to operate in a wake to -- in a way to keep people

safe. Can I express my party's condolences to those affected by

this disaster? And our praise for the local community and emergency

services who stepped up in the immediate aftermath when

unfortunately the local and national authorities failed to do so. Can I

thank the Prime Minister for the statement today and also setting up

a public inquiry? Can the Prime Minister confirm when the work on

the guidance she referred to on building regulations, fire safety,

when it will be completed? Can she confirm that as much focus

will be put on private blocks, particularly those converted from

office blocks into residential blocks, as is being put on local

authority and housing association blocks, and can she confirm the

Government will immediately ban the use of combustible materials to

ensure this tragedy cannot happen again? On the last point, the

building regulations set out the materials compliant and materials

that are noncompliant. As we go through this process of looking at

materials used in various blocks, the question as to whether those

indeed comply with building regulations will be one of those

that needs to be looked at and that will be an issue that will be looked

at in relation to the public inquiry. The questions in relation

to the guidance of the building regulations, that work is ongoing

and I would expect imminent... It is not just a question of producing

something, there needs to be consultation with various

organisations. But what we need to ensure is when the Fire Services,

the police have done their investigation, that any action

necessary immediately as a result of the identification of the cause of

the fire and the reasons why the fire took such hold which is of

course the issue that is of particular concern, then any action

necessary is taken and it will be taken. My right honourable friend

might be interested to know I spent about three hours on Monday walking

around the Grenfell Tower area talking to people and I met

traumatised victims who did not want to go into the centres to get help

so clearly people need to go out to them. They were angry there was no

clear housing policy as to when and where they would be rehoused but

above all what I found was there was an enormous amount of work being

done by voluntary bodies, all sorts of bodies, but there is a clear lack

of coordination as to how these bodies are to move forward together.

Can I strongly support what my right honourable friend this morning that

we should establish a high-level government task force that is able

to go into a similar sort of disaster, they should be available

24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to take over from the immediate command

situation? Can I thank him for the work he has done and the feedback he

has given the ministers in relation to the conversations he had with

residents and victims on the ground? He is absolutely right, the outreach

workers, the point has been made that they need to go out to see

people to make sure people know what is available, rather than expecting

people to come into the centre. I can assure him we are looking

actively at what further resilience we can put into the system by

establishing the sort of task force we have spoken about that will be

available should... None of us want a circumstance like this to happen

again, but that we ensure there is full resilience there were disasters

take place. While many of the questions that those affected by

this disaster will want answers to will have to wait the outcome of the

inquiry, there is one factual question that surely it is possible

to answer now. Was clouding of the type used in Grenfell Tower complied

with the fire safety and building regulations applicable at the time

when the refurbishment was undertaken? Yes or know? -- was

clouding of the type used. My understanding was that Fire Service

and building research Establishment have been on the scene very early to

look at this issue and they have been identifying the cause of the

fire and any contributory factors to the fire.

They have been looking at the cause of the fire. They are testing the

cladding on the building and they expect to make the results of this

public in the next, I think, 48 hours. Can my right honourable

friend confirm that those firefighters who attended the

harrowing scene and their families, will get the psychological support

they may well need in the months and years ahead? And which she commit to

report back on how this will be set up for them? Yes. She has raised an

important issue, which the Leader of the Opposition also touched on. I

can confirm we are assuring that support and counselling will be

available, and there will be further updates to the House on the response

to Grenfell Tower. Further to the previous question, the cladding on

the tarot is a standard rod up that is available for sale. I don't

understand why the Prime Minister can't tell us whether that product

is compliant with building regulations for each tower this

high. Why can she not tell us the answer? Can she also confirm that

the advisory committee that should be looking at part B of the building

regulations on fire safety, has not yet actually met to look at how they

could be improved? I will add to the answer I gave to the right

honourable gentleman previously. I ask honourable members to remember

that that is a criminal investigation taking place in

relation to this matter. The testing of the cladding and materials used

is being undertaken and a statement will be made by the police and the

fire service within the next 48 hours. The London Resilience For has

a number of multi-agency plans for things like a mass shelter, masked

that allergies, mass casualties. Can we confirm whether these plans were

fully implemented and can we ensure that what lessons we learned through

the enquiry process are fed back into the Resilience Forum in London

and around the country to make sure those lessons are learned. I know

that he took a particular interest in matters relating to the fire

brigade. I can confirm we have already looked at this question of

resilience forums around the country. We will make sure any

lessons learned from Grenfell Tower are fed into the resilience teams.

Nielsen need to make sure that those teams around the country are as

resilient as the need to be in terms of providing the support, should any

disaster happened. We have seen this in relation to other disasters like

flooding. We need to make sure that they are operating as they should.

Can the Prime Minister please confirm when the judge will be

appointed, also with the comments made by my colleagues on this site,

I'd be grateful for your clarification as to whether you are

advising us that you don't know whether the cladding was building

regulation compliant, because the question that has been raised with

the Prime Minister is whether that material was compliant. Are you

advising that it needs to be tested before you give an answer to that

question? . As I said, the material is being tested, the results of the

test... The information... The information that the police is able

to give publicly, they blogger. This is part of the criminal

investigation. It is... Honourable members may shake their heads, but

they want to ensure that a further criminal charges to be brought,

those charges are indeed brought. And we must therefore ensure that we

give the police the opportunity to do the job that they undertake and

that nothing we do prejudices that's. I welcome the Prime

Minister's commitment to the publication of an early interim

report. After the Croydon tram crash, reports were published within

three months had identified the immediate cause of the crash, so

that action could be taken. Can she assure the house that a similar

approach will be taken in relation to this interim report? It was very

important that interim reports came out very quickly in relation to the

Croydon enquiry. I can confirm that I fully expect the judge to bring

out an interim report. I did not answer her first question about the

judge. I would expect within a few days to announce the name of the

judge, but be very much want to ensure that when the judge takes

charge of this enquiry, that people feel that they can have full

confidence in the enquiry, so we're taking steps to ensure that is the

case. Sympathies are not enough, but on behalf of my party, I offer them

till has suffered and express my gratitude to the emergency services

who should the dedication of heroes in unimaginable circumstances.

Penalising individuals as partial retribution. Those in government

should search their souls, and will the Prime Minister commit that in

future policy and resources, a disaster of this magnitude can never

happen again in a 21st-century first world country? Can I first

congratulate the honourable lady on her appointment as leader of Plaid

Cymru members in this house, and assure her that we will ensure this

never happens again. If the cladding is found to be illegal and we find

other towers have been similarly clad, should can we look into the

cladding on all the other towers? What I would say to my honourable

friend is that if illegal activity is taking place, then that's a

matter the police and part of the investigation the police will be

undertaking. It's a question of what we're doing now in relation to the

tower blocks, that's why when encouraging local authorities,

housing associations and private landlords to send in their material

protesting. As the leader of a party which is responsible for seven years

of austerity, which has cut 56% of the cash available to my local

authority in the last seven years, and the leader of a party that has

spent its time talking about regulation has a bad thing, is she

now going to apologise to the country for the states of local

governments, when the richest borough in London cannot afford,

couldn't cope with this emergency, because at the same time as they

were giving money back to their council taxpayers. I say to the

honourable lady, we are currently dealing with the aftermath of a

terrible disaster that has led to people losing their lives and other

losing their homes and everything they own. They are making sure we're

putting the steps in place. I recognise that the response

initially wasn't good enough. But I was stepped up response. That's why

didn't respond to the honourable member for Camberwell in Peckham.

That's why we have been putting extra resource into making sure the

response is suitable. This will be an issue of looking at the

regulations. My understanding is these regulations are ones that were

established in 2006. We will be looking at the regulations, the

enquiry will look at the regulations. We'll look at how they

would apply. We'll look at the local authority and the issues raised

about the residents' complaints in advance of this disaster about the

tenant management organisation, and will get to the bottom of who was

responsible. As befits the occasion, these are thoughtful and solemn

exchanges, much I must advise the cutback house that progress has been

very slow. I'm keen to accommodate the extent of the interest, so I

appeal to colleagues to confine themselves to short, single sentence

questions, of which the honourable gentleman next is a notable

exponent. At the end of her compassionate and complaints of

statement, the Prime Minister said we had to think about people living

very different lives from ourselves. In opinion surveys go back over

decades, people never said they wanted to live in tower blocks. Can

we change public policy, so that tower blocks can become a thing of

the past? I am grateful for that question. There are many people who

do not wish to live in tower blocks, there are some people who are

perfectly comfortable living and. But what we have to look at is the

approach that is taken to social housing. I think that's one of the

lessons that comes this disaster. There will be an outbreak of sibling

rivalry, so I must now call Maria Eagle. The Prime Minister confirmed

in a statement that testing had discovered combustible cladding on

tower blocks in other parts of the country. Given that people living in

those tower blocks are going to fear more than others the consequences of

that discovery, what steps can she take to make sure that the landlords

have local authorities with those tower blocks exist, can swiftly deal

with the consequences of that discovery? That work is already

being undertaken. First of all, the testing work has been undertaken by

local authorities, housing associations and we encourage

private landlords to do it as well. We encourage everybody to send an

sample so we can test them in labs. Local authorities are immediately

informed if the material is combustible. They are then looking

with the local fire services at ensuring the safety of those

buildings. But will be done in a number of ways. But the is a

responsibility to make sure people are hoes safely and the government

is working with local authorities to make sure of that. I commend her

statement and the extraordinary degree of personal responsibility

she is taking. As she handed officials had a chance to look at

the report which has repeatedly recommended that the House of

Commons should have more of a role in the setting up of such enquiries?

Which he considered asking the house to establish a special select

committee very quickly to look at the terms of reference, to give a

pre-appointment hearing of the cheers of the enquiry and to set the

budget and timetable and make sure that this public enquiry does have

cross-party and public competence, in the way that so many public

enquiries have failed to do? He raises an important issue about

enquiries. We always look carefully at the reports of the advisory

committee and its predecessor. What's important in relation to this

enquiry, is that we did get it up and running with appropriate speed,

and the most important thing to me is that the residents affected will

have confidence in the enquiry. The important thing we need to do is to

make sure it is the residency can feel this enquiry is genuinely going

to get to the truth for them. We're still waiting to hear the Prime

Minister says she will underwrite the costs to local authorities of

inspection and urgent remedial action, given the cuts of up to a

third or a half of local authority budgets, and housing providers being

obliged to implement a rent cuts, which is squeezed their budgets. We

can have a postcode lottery in terms of safety provision, and that means

a commitment now from the government underwriter. We are providing the

testing facilities to the local authorities. We're working with them

to identify their needs and requirements and the response they

need to take and work with them to make sure they can respond in the

way that isn't necessarily. -- in the way that is necessary.

I can give that reassurance. Being close to friends and family but also

it is important for children to go to local schools. Mr Speaker, the

Prime Minister talked about looking forward to the future and those who

are far removed in lifestyles from those many in Westminster enjoy.

This is the reality in my constituency with overcrowding, two

families living in many homes, homelessness is the worst it has

been. Will she take a personal lead in taking plans forward to make sure

we deliver not just more housing but more really affordable housing for

the people who need it? We published proposals in relation to housing

before the general election. We want to ensure there are more affordable

homes, more houses being built and we have put half a billion into the

issue of dealing with homelessness. May I thank the Prime Minister for

her detailed and compassionate statement she has given us this

morning? I wonder if she would agree that although there are obviously

legitimate questions surrounding the Grenfell tragedy and rightly they

must be asked, we should exercise caution in attributing blame or

condemnation before we know the facts? As a former journalist, I

feel really strongly about this, scaremongering does not help

anybody. Getting to the bottom of things does. My honourable friend is

right. What is important is that the evidence is identified, the issue is

properly considered, everybody is able to give their views and their

evidence into the inquiry, and it is able to get to the truth and find

the result and find out what happened. The Fire Services and the

police are looking at the immediate cause of the fire. They will make

public any statements in relation to that they are able to. But the

inquiry will get to the truth and it is important we actually allow the

inquiry to identify responsibility. Leeds City Council have responded

swiftly, communicating with tenants and residents in all 116 blocks,

testing the cladding, none of which uses the same as what was used in

Kensington. But what we now need to know and following on from the

question from my honourable friend is that whatever recommendations are

made, on sprinklers, cladding, fire alarms and other remedial work, that

it will be central government providing the funds to ensure

tenants and residents in all of the thousands of tower blocks across the

country are safe? I thought I have responded on a number of questions

on this. The Government is working with local authorities. We will

ensure any essential work necessary in terms of remedial action for

safety of the blocks in relation to fire are taken. We will work with

local authorities to identify... There will be different

circumstances in different local authorities. We will ensure the work

can be undertaken. Thank you. Can I commend the Prime Minister for her

statement and for talking about the public inquiry? From my experience

of having had a public inquiry for two and a half years in my

constituency, it is vital it is thorough but that it is also as

swift as possible. Can I urge that whoever is appointed talks with

people like Sir Robert Francis who chaired the public inquiry in my

constituency to find out from his experience how that can best be

achieved? I will pass that on. I agree it is important it is done as

quickly as possible. Can I welcome the Prime Minister Pozner statement

the Government will play for legal representation for those affected by

the fire? -- the Prime Minister Pozner statement. Can she confirm

both victims and tenants groups will be given public funding for

independent and separate legal representation sufficient to enable

them to have a voice equal to that of local and national government and

the private management company? I ask this question because I

understand the tenants association were not allowed legal

representation in the Lakanal House fire inquiry. It is one of the

experiences that came out of the hills for inquiry, the importance of

ensuring that those affected had appropriate legal representation --

the Hillsborough inquiry. The government funded that legal

representation to enable them to have the strength of what they

needed. As she will be aware, how the inquiry is conducted and the

witnesses who called under representations received will be...

The judge will decide how he wants to conduct that inquiry. For those

who require legal representation, we will be funding that by the

Government and I have not set any limits in relation to the types of

body or individuals who that would be. My right honourable friend was

absolutely right to highlight the incredible work of the brave

firefighters who attended the scene in the immediate aftermath of this

incident. But will she not only ensure they are properly recognised

for those Herculean efforts, but also any welfare needs arising are

met immediately? My honourable friend is absolutely right and

support is being given to the firefighters and police and others

who attended the scene to ensure... They also obviously potential

suffering from trauma as a result of what they have seen and that support

will be available. The Prime Minister in concluding her statement

said we should resolve never to forget these people. I would like to

ask her who she thinks forgot these people? Was that the formula delete

macro former Chancellor of the Exchequer who -- was it the former

charge of the stack? Former ministers who ignored pleas from

this House on fire safety? Or her who has seen other people in Britain

as these people rather than our friends and our neighbours? I think

the best response I can give is to refer her to the remarks I made when

I became Prime Minister on the steps I became Prime Minister on the steps

of Downing Street. I note in the Prime Minister Pozner statement all

social landlords have been instructed to carry out additional

fire safety checks but private landlords have been given advice

they can take up an option of the same facility. Can we ensure the

inquiry looks at social and private tower blocks? All citizens should be

equal when it comes to safety. The inquiry will focus on what happened

at Grenfell Tower but any implications that come out of it may

well affect others, not just social landlords but private landlords as

well. The Prime Minister has already been asked this question several

times and failed to answer, so I will give her the opportunity again.

Will the Government fully commit to meet the costs for proper and a

appropriate safety checks to fully fund the safety checks to retrofit

sprinklers and any other associated costs? I have answered it. I have

made it clear... I have made it clear that where work is necessary,

resources will be available to ensure that work can be undertaken.

It is for the Government to work with local authorities to ensure

that takes place. The families of the victims are entitled to the

truth, not speculation, not conjecture, the truth based on

evidence. My right honourable friend is right to set up the public

inquiry. But can we ensure an early date is agreed for publication of an

interim report on the facts of this case more than any other, justice

delayed is justice denied? I would expect and hope that the judge...

The individual will be independent, but I would expect that the judge

when appointed would indicate publicly when they would expect to

bring an interim report out so people will have that confidence.

Will the Prime Minister confirm the 68 flats to be allocated to the

victims of the Grenfell Tower fire are already designated as social

housing? What we need particularly in places where West London were

social housing is the only affordable housing for any is large

investment in housing and on these benches we will be very sceptical

about her conversion to social housing until she starts providing

that housing, not talking about it. The important part about the

development is that it is being ring fenced for people affected by

Grenfell Tower. That is the significance of this. It is

available and it will be available to leap for people who have been

displaced and lost their homes as a result of this tragedy -- available

to people. We have heard residents had spoken up about their fears but

not being listened to. Like so many not being listened to. Like so many

of our constituents on whose behalf we frequently write the

organisations asking for them to be given a fair hearing and despite the

dedication of many thousands of staff. Can I ask my right honourable

friend to look at the management systems and culture of organisations

that serve the public to work out what needs to change to make sure

every citizen of this country, whoever they are, wherever they are,

they are not just heard but listen to? She raises an important point in

relation to this issue. It is indeed and we need to ensure that

organisations who have a responsibility to the public do

indeed listen to the public, as my right honourable friend said. In

relation to looking ahead for any future disasters that should take

place, that is why I am looking at this concept of the independent

public advocate, somebody who can make sure that answers come, not

just that people get the support they need, but they get the answers

they need. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Many have paid tribute to the fire

rescue workers who put their lives in danger and the trauma they may

still feel from that, I would like as a surgeon of over 30 years to

highlight the NHS staff will also be traumatised because there is nothing

more horrific than dealing with the victims of bones. In the Autumn

Statement of 2015, the former Chancellor identified ?800 million

that should be taken from the new housing bonus scheme to make up the

shortfall in social care. Will the current Chancellor now reverse that?

We need to be shorter from now on. Prime Minister. The honourable lady

is right, as I said, I visited one of the hospitals which had taken in

victims and those NHS staff did a wonderful job as well. Of course,

what we have seen in London is NHS staff not only dealing with the

Grenfell Tower disaster but also with the terrorist attacks that have

taken place. As she said, it is those NHS staff who deserves

support, as do others in the emergency services who have been

referred to earlier. I speak as a representative of an area that has

no tower blocks but the overwhelming wish of my constituents is for us to

have timely implementation of any recommendations coming out of the

public inquiry in a nonpartisan manner. And recognising this may

come at a considerable cost to the public purse. Is the Prime Minister

aware that across the country that is the will of many people? Yes, it

is absolutely the case any recommendations that come out of the

public inquiry, they will be recommendations about keeping people

-- keeping people safe, and action will be taken. I am keen to

accommodate remaining interests, but it must be PC. -- it must be pithily

conveyed. In, two out, will that approach to the regulatory burden

now be abandoned with regard to fire safety? I would say to that

honourable lady that the issue of regulations, we have always taken

the issue of regulations in relation to safety very, very seriously

indeed. She might know that when I was Home Secretary, I was very clear

it is not the case all regulation is bad regulation, there is good

regulation which we need to ensure we get right and one of the issues

from the public inquiry will be asking that very question about fire

regulation. I congratulate her on her success this. She has agreed to

alter the textbook for colleagues. It seems almost inconceivable and

organisation spent ?8.7 million refurbishing a tower block and did

not include inflammable cladding and a sprinkler system. When we have the

outcome from the public inquiry, can she confirm there will be time made

available in the House for necessary legislation? I think it would be

appropriate for the House to have the opportunity to debate the

outcome of the inquiry and to look at the issues. We will have to wrap

up at ten past so we will do what we can before now and then. Residents

of Grenfell Tower warned the housing provider of the dangers and that it

would take a fire in a tower block for notice to be taken. Can I ask

the Prime Minister to look at the Localism Act which currently

requires residents to give it eight weeks before they can make a

complaint to the ombudsman for this to be taken up through their members

of Parliament? I am grateful for raising an issue which had not been

raised with me before. I will look at the Localism Act. There are

reasons why that period of time was put into the act. But she is right

the issue of the response of the tenant management organisation is

one of the ones that has been raised and it is one that needs to be

looked at as the inquiry looks at the reasons for this. Would the

results of the individual examinations to which she has

referred over this issue be produced as they become available or will

they all be subjected to the public examination and if it is the former,

could we have a timetable for that? I assume my honourable friend is

talking about the tests on the cladding question at yes? Regards

those tests, as soon as the results are available, and the tests can be

done within hours of the samples being received, they will

immediately be informed as to the results of those tests. A single

sentence and a short one. Fire sprinklers save lives, can I correct

the Prime Minister? The inquest recommended the department issue

guidance to all providers of high-rise blocks they should

retrofit sprinklers. Can I ask the Prime Minister, there are 213 blocks

with 10,000 households in Birmingham, will she agree now to

act on the advice that was given four years ago, retrofit sprinklers

and pay for it, the government to pay for it?

The recommendation was that we encourage the owners to consider the

retrofitting of sprinkler systems. Could I ask how will be enquiry also

look at the safety of tall buildings, in which people work, as

well as those in which people live? Yes, I think it's important that

this enquiry, when it looks at the implications of the fire, actually

assesses the those for all tall buildings, and indeed, we are

ensuring we are looking at other tall buildings that may have been

clad in a similar way, which may not be residential properties, but which

may be used for other purposes. Can the Prime Minister tell us why she

will not choose to show leadership and require all councils to retrofit

and provide the resources? I have made the point earlier that what we

need to ensure in any accommodation that is provided by local

authorities or housing associations, is that the accommodation is safe.

People are making assumptions about the work that needs to be done to

ensure that. What needs to happen on the ground is the local authority or

the housing association, the landlord working with the fire and

rescue service to make sure they can provide that service. When the Prime

Minister considers her suggestion, will she paid in mind the result of

the floods in Gloucestershire, which was a single leader responsible for

coordination of the groups and the media and information? We will

consider that and it is putting that in place here with John Barrett deal

as gold command, that has helped to move things forward and ensure the

response has improved. Where an independent safety Fire review of a

block of flats recommends retrofitting sprinklers or major

refurbishment, will the government fund it? His question seemed to talk

about any blocks of flats in the country, whether they be in private

or public sector ownership. What we are doing is making sure, first of

all, that the fire service and landlords ensure the safety, local

authorities and says what is needed for the safety of those properties,

and where action is needed and work is needed, the government will work

with those landlords to make sure that can be done. The Prime Minister

concluded by saying it was the government was my job to show it is

listening. Wilshere listen to the experts in the Fire Brigades Union

and reverse the cuts to the fire service and retrofit and close all

high-rise residential accommodation? As I've already said in relation to

the issue of sprinklers, some tests on retrofitting have been taken

across the country, but it's not as simple as saying if you retrofit

sprinklers, that's the one thing you need to do. There are a variety of

ways that action needs to be taken and what needs to happen is the

experts assess that for every block. The Communities Secretary has

demanded that the chief executive of Kensington resign. That is a matter

that will be decided by the appropriate group in the council. If

Bristol council comes at the conclusion that essential work is

needed on its tower blocks, will the government funded and if so, how

soon can we get the money? If, in conjunction with the Fire and rescue

service, the decision is made that work needs to be done on those tower

blocks, then there will then be a discussion between the authority and

the Department for Communities and Local Government on how that work

can be undertaken and the provision of resources for that work. I know

the Prime Minister believes politicians should be accountable

for their actions are in actions, so has she told the leader of

Kensington and Chelsea Council that he should go, because of the

appalling way this tragedy has been handled? I have had a conversation

with him. I told him he needed to make sure residents and victims and

survivors of this terrible disaster were being given the help and

support they needed. We have now put more help and support in to make

sure that is happening on the ground. In terms of paying more

attention to social housing going forward, will the Prime Minister

pledged to review the right to buy discount policy, which implies that

renting is not aspirational enough. If he looks at the housing white

paper reproduced earlier this year, he will see with very clear that we

expect this to be a diversity of ways in which people will be in

their homes. Some wish to own their homes, some wish to rent, some will

wish to have rented by our shared ownership. I want to see a diversity

that is its people and their circumstances. Fire stations in my

constituency are closing as a result of government cuts. The government

take action now and increase funding? What is happening across

the country is Fire services are ensuring they have the appropriate

response to a fire as they are dealing with. What was abortion here

in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire is it was search and rescue as

well as the London Fire Brigade, the resources were there they were able

to take the they took. Short sentence. Thank you. I've heard a

lot of abuse of the word encouragement today. In my

experience, the word encouragement is not necessarily useful one were

talking about something of this magnitude and a tragedy. Markets

stall work with encouragement, they work with regulation. Can I suggest,

there has been an explosion in a number of student properties built

in recent years, in the private sector. It's incumbent on the

government to make it mandatory that is not just the public sector but

also the private sector to use their facilities and test doggies

properties? There are regulations in place, fire safety and building

regulations. We are ensuring that facilities are available, we're

doing that free of charge. I say once again, local authorities and

housing associations are indeed setting examples in that encourage

them to do so and others to do so as well. The facilities were checking

are available to the devolved administrations as well. Can the

Prime Minister as show me she will work with the devolved

administrations on the lesson learning process, including with

their Welsh government which is announced an expert group to do just

that. We are already talking to the devolved administrations and we will

continue to do so. Landlords do not always know who occupies their

properties and the vulnerabilities of certain tenants. But the Prime

Minister 's ensure we investigate opportunities for data sharing

between local authorities and other groups? She has raised an

interesting issue about ensuring, and I think this is sometimes at the

heart of it, that people who are interacting with various government

departments, that the service the government gives them is focused on

their needs and identifies their particular needs. Consider the issue

she raises about data-sharing. According to Home Office figures,

the number of checks has fallen by 25%, the home fire safety checks,

since 2010. Will the Prime Minister now give the service the funding it

needs so that 100% of the checks are done? The Fire and Rescue service do

conduct checks, they do that in relation to residential buildings in

conjunction with the landlords. Some of the checks will be conducted by

landlords themselves. But the Prime Minister meet urgently with the Fire

and Rescue Service, because the advice given to the residents of

Grenfell Tower to stay in their flats may have been erroneous? They

have representation at the meetings have been shading in relation to the

response to Grenfell Tower. The issue of advice given to residents

has been raised with them. This is a matter that will meet consideration.

Can I ask that an assessment is carried out into the capacity of the

fire service to respond to incidents like this, particularly with

reference to appliances. The first service was able to respond to this,

but when the enquiry looks at this, I'd expect that to be something they

would consider. There are 32 tower blocks in Northern Ireland. When it

comes to lessons learned and suggestions and recommendations,

that the Northern Ireland Housing service will be made aware of those.

I hope that the Northern Ireland assembly and executive will be

formed, such as though in a position for us to give that information to

them. Thank you to colleagues and the Prime Minister for the

corporation. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, secretary

Amber Road. With permission, I'd like to make a statement about the

terrorist attacks we have seen since Parliament last sat. There has been

no summer like it. When we rose seven weeks ago, we left this house

in the wake of the worst terrorist attack our country had seen in over

a decade. With