12/07/2017

:00:00. > :00:00.statement... Abby honourable gentleman for Ealing North has

:00:00. > :00:11.forged new alliance with a member of the SNP. I do not know who should be

:00:12. > :00:14.more afraid! The statement the Secretary of State for International

:00:15. > :00:19.Development, Secretary Priti Patel. Thank you. With permission, I would

:00:20. > :00:23.like to update the house or my departments continued support for

:00:24. > :00:29.the people of Mosul. The Prime Minister of Iraq called for the

:00:30. > :00:37.Mosul to be liberated after the city fell to Daesh. This comes after a

:00:38. > :00:41.manageable oppression by Daesh. Fear of execution, abductions, forced

:00:42. > :00:47.marriages, destruction of the city, it comes after nine months of heavy

:00:48. > :00:51.fighting for the Iraqi security forces who faced brutal Daesh

:00:52. > :00:55.tactics including the use of human shields and suicide bombers. My

:00:56. > :00:59.honourable friend will provide the house with a more detailed update

:01:00. > :01:03.tomorrow on the ongoing military campaign in Iraq and Syria and the

:01:04. > :01:08.UK role in the effort. The declaration that Mosul is free again

:01:09. > :01:12.is a great victory for the people of Iraq and a great stride forward for

:01:13. > :01:17.global security. I'm sure that the house will help me commend the

:01:18. > :01:21.extraordinary bravery of the Iraq forces to put the protection of

:01:22. > :01:24.civilians at the heart of their military campaign acting to reduce

:01:25. > :01:29.civilian casualties where they could and risking their lives to evacuate

:01:30. > :01:33.civilians avoiding the bullets of the Daesh fighters. We should

:01:34. > :01:37.recognise the professionalism, their sacrifice and they have been backed

:01:38. > :01:44.up by the international coalition forces including the IRS who have

:01:45. > :01:47.taken all reasonable precautions during the planning and execution of

:01:48. > :01:49.air strikes to reduce the risk of civilian lives.

:01:50. > :01:55.We should also write -- we should also recognise the bravery of the

:01:56. > :01:59.people of Mosul, the people who have been out -- the children who have

:02:00. > :02:06.been out of school and who are now back in the classroom. Doctors are

:02:07. > :02:09.giving life-saving treatment once again to their fellow citizens,

:02:10. > :02:12.volunteers are clearing the rubble from the streets and public

:02:13. > :02:18.buildings. We must, though, be realistic about the challenges

:02:19. > :02:22.ahead. Almost 50,000 homes have been destroyed, although 200,000 people

:02:23. > :02:29.have returned to their homes in eastern Mosul, over 7000 people are

:02:30. > :02:35.still displaced. Explosive remnants of this war would be a problem for

:02:36. > :02:38.many months to come. After winning the battle for Mosul, it is

:02:39. > :02:46.important to win the peace, and now begins that painstaking task of

:02:47. > :02:49.rebuilding and reconciling, so that communities can live peacefully

:02:50. > :02:59.alongside one another once more, and citizens can start to rebuild their

:03:00. > :03:04.lives. As a global humanitarian leader, the United Kingdom has been

:03:05. > :03:07.at the forefront of the efforts to support the humanitarian response,

:03:08. > :03:13.and will continue to stand alongside the people of Iraq in the months

:03:14. > :03:17.ahead. From the start of the Mosul operations, the UK has provided

:03:18. > :03:21.shelter, military and -- medical care and food to those who have lost

:03:22. > :03:27.their homes through the fighting or who have been forced to flee. The

:03:28. > :03:31.UK's the largest donor to the Iraq humanitarian fund, and we are

:03:32. > :03:38.providing practical, life-saving support including water in camps for

:03:39. > :03:42.over 166,000 displaced people, cash assistance to over 50,000 vulnerable

:03:43. > :03:47.people, and life-saving health care including a trauma hospital to treat

:03:48. > :03:53.the victims of the fight against Daesh. Today, Mr Speaker, I can

:03:54. > :03:57.confirm that the UK will provide ?40 million of humanitarian funding this

:03:58. > :04:05.year, taking our total commitment just in Iraq to ?209 million since

:04:06. > :04:09.2014. This funding will help to ensure that the displaced

:04:10. > :04:12.communities, the displaced people, will receive the much needed

:04:13. > :04:20.shelter, food and medical support, and will provide protection for the

:04:21. > :04:24.most vulnerable. ?80 million of this funding has already been allocated

:04:25. > :04:28.to partners who are working hard to deliver assistance around Mosul. The

:04:29. > :04:36.United Nations has also said funding requirements for Iraq in 2017, at

:04:37. > :04:41.$984 million. The UK is stepping up, and I continue to call upon my

:04:42. > :04:45.colleagues in the international development community, the donors,

:04:46. > :04:47.to follow Britain's lead. They are stashed community must continue to

:04:48. > :04:54.support the people of Mosul and Iraq. As people return home, they

:04:55. > :04:59.will need support to rebuild their lives. Humanitarian partners are

:05:00. > :05:04.helping to re-establish basic services including carrying out food

:05:05. > :05:07.distribution in areas where markets are not yet functioning, and provide

:05:08. > :05:13.cash assistance so that vulnerable people can buy what they most need.

:05:14. > :05:22.And in East Mosul, DFID's humanitarian funding, and Unicef,

:05:23. > :05:25.has already helped to reopen health facilities and provide clean water

:05:26. > :05:31.in the liberated areas, which is essential for people to be able to

:05:32. > :05:35.return home. DFID will also provide ?6 million this year for the

:05:36. > :05:39.stabilisation efforts, helping to restore basic services and

:05:40. > :05:45.infrastructure in the liberated areas including in Mosul, and

:05:46. > :05:53.through UN DUP, funding has already helped to rehabilitate the water

:05:54. > :05:58.plant in eastern Mosul, and over 750 schools have already reopened, and

:05:59. > :06:02.about 300,000 children to sit exams. Our funding will also support local

:06:03. > :06:06.reconciliation, helping displaced people to reintegrate back into

:06:07. > :06:11.their communities when they return home. Across Iraq, over 1 million

:06:12. > :06:17.people have returned to their homes, in areas where UK funded

:06:18. > :06:20.stabilisation projects are working. But ultimately, Mr Speaker, to win

:06:21. > :06:24.peace in Iraq, the Government will need to unite all Iraqis against

:06:25. > :06:31.extremism. And address the grievances that led to Daesh's rise,

:06:32. > :06:35.and persuade all Iraqi communities that they have a fair stake in their

:06:36. > :06:40.nation's future. The UK will continue to be steadfast in their

:06:41. > :06:45.support to the Government of Iraq's efforts to drive forward reform,

:06:46. > :06:49.reconciliation and stabilisation. In conclusion, this week's victory

:06:50. > :06:54.against Daesh in Mosul marks an important moment in the campaign to

:06:55. > :07:00.defeat this terror group, and the poisonous ideology, and we will join

:07:01. > :07:06.our Iraqi friends in celebrating the liberalisation of this historic

:07:07. > :07:10.city. The UK will continue to provide humanitarian and

:07:11. > :07:16.stabilisation assistance, and also to support the Government of Iraq's

:07:17. > :07:24.efforts to build is -- stable, secure and more prosperous Iraq. I

:07:25. > :07:25.welcome the Secretary of State's statement, and are particularly

:07:26. > :07:34.welcomed the news of Mosul's liberation after three years. It is

:07:35. > :07:38.important to defeat Daesh's violent ideology. I would like to pay

:07:39. > :07:44.tribute to the Iraqi security forces and to the people of Mosul, who has

:07:45. > :07:48.shown remarkable courage in the face of Daesh's continued oppression. I

:07:49. > :07:52.would like to also pay particular tribute to the role of the UK

:07:53. > :07:57.Government in its important work to provide critical aid and emergency

:07:58. > :08:03.support. The UK's continued role here in the coming days and weeks,

:08:04. > :08:07.and the secured -- significant funding commitments announced by the

:08:08. > :08:11.Secretary of State, will save lives and help rebuild Mosul. And I

:08:12. > :08:16.welcome them. This commitment also represents the important role UK aid

:08:17. > :08:19.plays not only in standing alongside the people of Iraq, but also in

:08:20. > :08:26.contributing to long-term peace and stability. I would like now to ask

:08:27. > :08:32.the Secretary of State a series of questions about her announcement.

:08:33. > :08:37.First, it is clear that although there is cause for real celebration

:08:38. > :08:40.in the liberalisation of Mosul, Amnesty International have

:08:41. > :08:43.identified countless human rights violations on all sides. Both by

:08:44. > :08:54.Daesh and possibly by the Iraqi forces. These include the use of

:08:55. > :08:58.civilians as human shields by Daesh fighters, and violation against

:08:59. > :09:02.children's rights. Amnesty have called for a thorough investigation

:09:03. > :09:08.of all human rights violations, and possible war crimes carried out

:09:09. > :09:13.through the liberalisation of Mosul. While the UN human rights chief has

:09:14. > :09:17.called for a strong culture of accountability now that the city has

:09:18. > :09:23.been liberated, that the Secretary of State support these calls, and

:09:24. > :09:29.can she tell us how we can help? Secondly, Mr Speaker, while I

:09:30. > :09:33.welcome the UK Government's aid response, the false displacement of

:09:34. > :09:38.numerous refugees in and around Mosul as a result of the past two

:09:39. > :09:42.years of Daesh occupation requires widespread action, not only on the

:09:43. > :09:45.building but also on the resettlement of all those displaced.

:09:46. > :09:52.When can the Government update us on how we can help those who have been

:09:53. > :09:55.displaced? I would like to end by saying I thank the Secretary of

:09:56. > :10:01.State again, and I welcome the statement to the House. I thank the

:10:02. > :10:05.honourable lady for her generous comments and her support with

:10:06. > :10:09.regards to what has now been achieved in Mosul in particular, and

:10:10. > :10:14.I agreed that we should all of this moment pay tribute to all the forces

:10:15. > :10:18.involved in this but also the people who have suffered content --

:10:19. > :10:23.considerably at the hands of Daesh. The honourable lady's right to point

:10:24. > :10:29.to the report today, to Amnesty's report, alleging that Iraqi forces

:10:30. > :10:33.and the human rights violations and concerns. And of course I think it

:10:34. > :10:37.is important to stress that the security forces and the Coalition

:10:38. > :10:41.have made every effort during efforts aspect operations to protect

:10:42. > :10:47.civilians. There is no doubt that now that we are hearing from -- of

:10:48. > :10:49.alleged violations, quite rightly the state to be thoroughly

:10:50. > :10:56.investigated, and those found responsible must be held to account.

:10:57. > :11:01.We also welcome the previous statement and encourage reporting on

:11:02. > :11:05.the outcome is to follow. The honourable lady raised the issue of

:11:06. > :11:09.displacement of people. Hundreds of thousands of people have been

:11:10. > :11:14.affected by what has happened in Mosul and Iraq more broadly. The

:11:15. > :11:19.focus now has to be on the resettlement, and the reunification

:11:20. > :11:23.of the country as a whole. The honourable lady will have heard me

:11:24. > :11:29.speak briefly of the efforts on stabilisation, and that has to be

:11:30. > :11:32.the focus right now. And UK aid, my department in particular, are

:11:33. > :11:38.working with my honourable friend, the Secretary of State for defence,

:11:39. > :11:39.and others across Government and the international community, yes, to

:11:40. > :11:48.provide support on UN stabilisation efforts in Iraq, securing liberated

:11:49. > :11:53.areas, securing areas of explosives and making them habitable over

:11:54. > :11:58.again, but importantly providing the basics, putting in water, power,

:11:59. > :12:03.clinics and schools, and ensuring that since we know that since 2015

:12:04. > :12:08.1.8 million people have been displaced in Iraq, and have returned

:12:09. > :12:11.to their homes were possible, that we focus on the resettlement and the

:12:12. > :12:16.stabilisation and how we can bring back the prosperity and

:12:17. > :12:24.stabilisation back to Mosul and the outlying areas in Iraq as well.

:12:25. > :12:27.Mosul was home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the region,

:12:28. > :12:33.but religious minorities suffered dreadfully at the heart -- at the

:12:34. > :12:37.hands of IS. What can DFID do to ensure that such my sorrow that

:12:38. > :12:42.minorities are able to return to the place of their origins? -- to ensure

:12:43. > :12:50.that minorities are able to return. I thank the honourable lady for

:12:51. > :12:54.raising this issue. We now what has happened in the past, particularly

:12:55. > :12:59.for Christian communities and others, has been a pollen, and we

:13:00. > :13:04.are now focused on, yes, stabilisation, but ensuring that

:13:05. > :13:09.Iraq as a whole can be rebuilt on the unified. -- has been abhorrent.

:13:10. > :13:17.So that all communities can feel they can contribute to a new Iraq,

:13:18. > :13:22.posted the conflict. We very much welcome the military defeat of DFID

:13:23. > :13:25.-- Daesh. But in order for the victory to be complete, it is

:13:26. > :13:30.imperative to address the humanitarian needs of the people in

:13:31. > :13:32.the city and the surrounding region. Amnesty International have described

:13:33. > :13:39.the horrors that the people in Mosul have witnessed, and the disregard

:13:40. > :13:45.for human life by all parties in this conflict. Entire families have

:13:46. > :13:48.been wiped out. The people of Mosul defends -- deserve to know there

:13:49. > :13:52.will be justice in reparation, so the harrowing impact of this

:13:53. > :13:56.operation is fully addressed. UK Government must finally learn the

:13:57. > :14:01.lessons from Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. It cannot be allowed to

:14:02. > :14:06.happen in Mosul as it has done in many places before, but the cost and

:14:07. > :14:10.impact of UK military action towards the relief and reconstruction

:14:11. > :14:13.efforts to follow. How is the Government working with civil

:14:14. > :14:16.society on the ground to alleviate the suffering in refugee camps,

:14:17. > :14:21.which lacks sufficient food, water and electricity to survive the

:14:22. > :14:26.scorching desert heat 's? And brother Government support

:14:27. > :14:28.specifically the creation of an independent Commission, as

:14:29. > :14:33.recommended by Amnesty International, to investigate the

:14:34. > :14:36.killings by civilians -- the killings of civilians by all sides

:14:37. > :14:42.in this conflict, as well as air strikes carried out by the UK? I

:14:43. > :14:45.would like to say again the comments I made to the honourable lady

:14:46. > :14:50.earlier with regards to the Amnesty International report. Yet read the

:14:51. > :14:54.comments I made up of the violations that may have taken place, and the

:14:55. > :14:59.need to have investigations. It is right and proper that all attention

:15:00. > :15:06.is given to them, and that the -- and that people are brought to

:15:07. > :15:09.justice. But I think we must also recognise there have been horrific

:15:10. > :15:17.attacks across the whole of Iraq, because of pointless ideology of --

:15:18. > :15:21.the poisonous ideology of Daesh. The conduct of Daesh on the atrocities

:15:22. > :15:28.that have taken place but slightly unforgivable and they will sky

:15:29. > :15:32.generations to come. -- are totally unforgivable. When many people have

:15:33. > :15:38.worked to liberate Mosul, in particular Coalition forces and the

:15:39. > :15:41.Iraqi security forces, our priority is absolutely through UK aid to

:15:42. > :15:46.ensure that we continue in the humanitarian support that we provide

:15:47. > :15:50.to those who have been displaced, to support the stabilisation efforts,

:15:51. > :15:54.and of course that is the focus of much of the British Government, but

:15:55. > :15:57.all our partners internationally, including the UN, and we will

:15:58. > :16:03.continue to stand up for those who have been displaced, and importantly

:16:04. > :16:08.no work to bring peace and stability to Iraq. -- and importantly no work.

:16:09. > :16:16.I welcome the tone and the extra spot these people in Mosul. With the

:16:17. > :16:19.experience of others to be followed in Mosul, detectives of Daesh would

:16:20. > :16:25.be that every public place will be be be trapped with minds and it will

:16:26. > :16:30.take many years to clear that. Well she committed the Government to do

:16:31. > :16:33.all she can to help with the technical matter of removing

:16:34. > :16:37.explosives. It is not the scorching heat that we worry about today, it

:16:38. > :16:41.is the co-author of the Mosul winter we worry about coming in 34 months'

:16:42. > :16:47.time, in which Tammy need to find decent accommodation. My honourable

:16:48. > :16:53.friend is right and I referred in my statement to the fact that we will

:16:54. > :16:57.spend a great deal of time and resources in rebuilding Mosul but

:16:58. > :17:00.also Iraq as a hole through the stabilisation approach that we will

:17:01. > :17:06.put forward. But there is no doubt in terms of the fact that we will

:17:07. > :17:11.have to invest to reclaim land, the mine huge phrase of the country and

:17:12. > :17:15.then we announced a substantial commitment to our de-mining assets

:17:16. > :17:20.in countries that have been unstable through conflict. It is also

:17:21. > :17:23.registered a that as we move into the latter part of the year that the

:17:24. > :17:29.weather conditions will change, they will become harsher and we were all

:17:30. > :17:33.within the international committee have to step up our efforts and

:17:34. > :17:37.focus our resources on those that will be in need during the harsh

:17:38. > :17:41.winter that will follow. We will need to rebuild put houses in and

:17:42. > :17:46.build infrastructure sooner rather than later. I welcome the Secretary

:17:47. > :17:48.of State's statement and the additional humanitarian assistance

:17:49. > :17:53.that she has announced and what she has said about the mining. Many

:17:54. > :17:58.people in Mosul when they return will be deeply traumatised what will

:17:59. > :18:03.the Government be doing to ensure the mental health care is supported

:18:04. > :18:07.when they do return? I thank the honourable gentleman for his

:18:08. > :18:12.question. He is right you think about the trauma of the

:18:13. > :18:16.psychological trauma, physical trauma as well of course in

:18:17. > :18:21.recovering and rebuilding after what has happened across Iraq and in

:18:22. > :18:26.Mosul in particular. I spoke about the fact we will need to

:18:27. > :18:30.rehabilitate the country at every single level and the destruction

:18:31. > :18:34.side, schools, but also health centres as well and working with our

:18:35. > :18:38.colleagues and counterparts internationally within the health

:18:39. > :18:42.community as well, to ensure the medical assistance and support and

:18:43. > :18:45.expertise of those that can provide the help to those people that will

:18:46. > :18:53.need the kind of support we have just touched on is absolutely vital.

:18:54. > :18:58.The people in the area that wish to return to Mosul have been

:18:59. > :19:02.traumatised as we heard from many of the many people speaking to day. The

:19:03. > :19:06.ones who stayed in the area want to go home, but there are very few

:19:07. > :19:11.homes to go home too. Could my honourable friend explain what we

:19:12. > :19:16.are doing in this country to help the infrastructure and put a roof

:19:17. > :19:19.over people's heads, but is she also encouraging other countries to

:19:20. > :19:24.support the people of the area at the same time? I thank my honourable

:19:25. > :19:32.friend for her question and she is right to point to the immediate need

:19:33. > :19:35.that is required for the people, the dispose people, over 1.8 million

:19:36. > :19:39.people who have returned to their homes and we are working with the

:19:40. > :19:44.Iraqi Government on stabilisation and also in areas where the U and

:19:45. > :19:53.stability programme is working. We are working in conjunction with them

:19:54. > :19:56.to provide the necessary and important infrastructure, power

:19:57. > :20:01.networks, schools, but also homes because of the level of destruction

:20:02. > :20:07.that has taken place, which is incomprehensible to us here. The

:20:08. > :20:11.vast swathes of land and homes that were deliberately destroyed by Daesh

:20:12. > :20:15.it is our response by to work with our partners to rebuild and rehouse

:20:16. > :20:25.the many millions who have been displaced. I very much welcome the

:20:26. > :20:30.Secretary of State's statement. Tens of thousands of children have been

:20:31. > :20:35.without education in Mosul for many years so it is good you news that

:20:36. > :20:40.750 schools have reopened, but what work is being done to help schools

:20:41. > :20:43.be able to tackle the very particular sensitive challenge of

:20:44. > :20:48.helping older children, teenagers and young adults to plug the gap,

:20:49. > :20:52.the significant gap in their education and prevent a lost

:20:53. > :20:58.generation? My honourable friend is right to speak about the lost

:20:59. > :21:03.generation and this is an issue the whole region in terms of Syria,

:21:04. > :21:08.Iraq, the level of displacement we have seen of children has been

:21:09. > :21:11.horrific, and the number of children that have lost their education, been

:21:12. > :21:15.out of school for several years because of the level of conflict

:21:16. > :21:19.that has taken place, she will know that the United Kingdom is an

:21:20. > :21:25.enormous supporter, big funder of the education cannot wait programme

:21:26. > :21:30.which suckers on this on areas of conflict and on host communities as

:21:31. > :21:34.well. Jordan and Lebanon in one example in the Syrian region where

:21:35. > :21:41.we are providing resources to bring a double shift system of education.

:21:42. > :21:43.Mentioning all the children, it is important but through the funding

:21:44. > :21:49.and the partners that we work with that they are providing education

:21:50. > :21:52.and they are. But it is more than education but also technical and

:21:53. > :21:55.vocational training opportunities through the funding that we are

:21:56. > :22:08.giving to those governments in particular. A competition amongst

:22:09. > :22:14.others in colleagues in cream suits! Obviously a man of taste! Can the

:22:15. > :22:20.Government has previously acknowledged that the cutting of the

:22:21. > :22:26.food coupon in the Syrian refugee camps light to the mass exodus

:22:27. > :22:32.thereafter. Acknowledging the proud track record in human tearing aid,

:22:33. > :22:35.will the honourable friend make it clear to the house that the

:22:36. > :22:38.international community must step up to the plate when it comes to the

:22:39. > :22:41.funding of any temporary arrangements with regards to the

:22:42. > :22:47.displaced people and we've learned those lessons? My honourable friend

:22:48. > :22:52.is right to raise this issue and one of the things in terms of lessons

:22:53. > :22:57.learned and being learned is about the increment a share in the lot of

:22:58. > :23:00.the programming of those in crisis and its humanitarian situations when

:23:01. > :23:06.it comes to food provision, water and other essentials as well. We

:23:07. > :23:11.have through the wake taking place many lessons have been learned and

:23:12. > :23:14.organisations, partner organisations on the ground delivering services

:23:15. > :23:20.and provisions are working collectively together in a way in

:23:21. > :23:23.which she refers to in 2013 they were not working together to bring

:23:24. > :23:34.the vital aid and food distribution that needed it. Can I congratulate

:23:35. > :23:37.the Secretary of State for what I thought was a very measured and

:23:38. > :23:44.comprehensive statement on the situation. I have a friend in

:23:45. > :23:52.Baghdad who was an MP in Mosul. She was also the Culture Secretary. And

:23:53. > :23:57.so, for her, the devastation of a historically very important city

:23:58. > :24:03.will have been pretty awful. I'm glad to say that the Secretary of

:24:04. > :24:10.State is focusing on the humanitarian needs right away

:24:11. > :24:13.because as honourable members have said, the dramatisation,

:24:14. > :24:23.particularly of children in the area needs to be looked at right away.

:24:24. > :24:30.Can I just mention, you talked about the importance of peace. We all want

:24:31. > :24:34.to see peace in the region, I congratulate the Prime Minister of

:24:35. > :24:41.Iraq for hopefully getting rid of Daesh from a Mosul. But then, in

:24:42. > :24:48.Kurdistan, which is in the bottom part of the country -- an important

:24:49. > :24:53.part, would you agree to is important that the Parliament of

:24:54. > :24:58.Kurdistan, which has not met for a radio, should meet as soon as

:24:59. > :25:02.possible? I thank the honourable lady for her remarks and her

:25:03. > :25:07.thoughtful observations as well in terms of how we need to work

:25:08. > :25:11.together to bring peace and stability to Iraq, but also to the

:25:12. > :25:16.region. This is not one thing that one country can do on it so and this

:25:17. > :25:20.is where the international community can provide guidance, support and

:25:21. > :25:24.assistance and in particular help with getting the democracy

:25:25. > :25:28.functioning again, which would be the ultimate symbol of beating Daesh

:25:29. > :25:32.and the poisonous ideology that they have been propagating across the

:25:33. > :25:38.region. She is right to highlight the fact that stabilisation, peace

:25:39. > :25:44.and democracy in the functioning democracy should return again. This

:25:45. > :25:49.is of course a long-term objective, one that we know will be difficult

:25:50. > :25:53.because of the level of conflict and instability, but also the level of

:25:54. > :25:59.destruction and displacement that we had seen. Our focus is the immediate

:26:00. > :26:02.focus and that is putting people first, children first and rebuilding

:26:03. > :26:08.the country in the best way that we can through the international

:26:09. > :26:11.coalition. I do not want the honourable gentleman to feel left

:26:12. > :26:18.out! Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I have proudly stood on the

:26:19. > :26:23.manifesto in all of my elections of supporting the international aid and

:26:24. > :26:28.many criticise that, but would honourable lady agree with me that

:26:29. > :26:33.it is not just morally right that we can invest in the country of Iraq

:26:34. > :26:36.because the situation with Daesh in Mosul, that was through the

:26:37. > :26:42.residents being worried about divisions in the Baghdad Government

:26:43. > :26:46.and it is investment through this country that we make sure that we

:26:47. > :26:52.can prevent this happens again. I thank my honourable friend for his

:26:53. > :26:57.question. Again, for we stating the importance of UK aid and our

:26:58. > :27:04.commitment to the world's poorest. I think through the work we have been

:27:05. > :27:08.undertaking through humanitarian support, urgent support which has

:27:09. > :27:13.been there for a number of years now, but looking ahead to the

:27:14. > :27:16.stabilisation that we will work to achieve, collectively within the

:27:17. > :27:21.international development community, we can see UK agent just make a

:27:22. > :27:27.difference of the people but also bring peace and stability in a way

:27:28. > :27:29.we would all expect our aid budget but our influence globally through

:27:30. > :27:35.our aid Brigid to bring to a country such as Iraq. Following the comments

:27:36. > :27:39.of the Scottish Nationalists spokesman, is not the difference

:27:40. > :27:44.between the British and coalition forces and Daesh is we go out of our

:27:45. > :27:50.way to minimise civilian casualties and temperament is exactly the

:27:51. > :27:54.moment. One of our colleagues is being threatened for her favourite

:27:55. > :27:59.in her action against Daesh to we not need to send out from a message

:28:00. > :28:03.in this house that he was out right to take the decisions we did, to

:28:04. > :28:07.take military actions against Daesh one of those in Iraq and in Syria?

:28:08. > :28:12.The honourable gentleman is absolutely right that we not only

:28:13. > :28:15.did the right thing but we will continue to do the right thing,

:28:16. > :28:26.standing up to these poisonous ideologies and the conduct of these

:28:27. > :28:30.awful groups around the world. But also the fighters, the people who

:28:31. > :28:38.fought Daesh as well, and he is right in his comments. Sexual

:28:39. > :28:42.violence is one of the consistent horrors of war both conventional and

:28:43. > :28:49.unconventional, it is a deliberate act, a recognisable but repugnant

:28:50. > :28:54.tactic to shatter the cohesion of people as well as being grotesque

:28:55. > :28:58.examples of individual human rights abuses. Will the Secretary of State

:28:59. > :29:05.assures macro that she will look at how DFID will mitigate this vile

:29:06. > :29:10.form of violence and support the fragile and damaged communities?

:29:11. > :29:18.Moreover, will she say what how we can deter the oppressors to using

:29:19. > :29:23.this form of violence in future violence? He mentions the abhorrent

:29:24. > :29:30.sexual violence against women, girls and particularly the use Ely

:29:31. > :29:36.community as well. We have called up for those and given any voice to

:29:37. > :29:42.those being subject to attacks because of Daesh I think in areas of

:29:43. > :29:47.conflict in particular, it is women and girls who suffer through such

:29:48. > :29:51.atrocious acts of violence and atrocities and we will continue to

:29:52. > :29:55.stand up for them through working with our partners, the United

:29:56. > :29:59.Nations, but also other partners and I think importantly, to answer this

:30:00. > :30:03.question on what else we will do, we will follow through the prosecutions

:30:04. > :30:10.of those that are responsible for this, we will hold them to account.

:30:11. > :30:16.I visited the outskirts of Mosul last October during the conflict and

:30:17. > :30:22.met counterterrorism personnel. I also visited six camps of refugees

:30:23. > :30:27.and IDP 's Saudi huge humanitarian operation which I was very impressed

:30:28. > :30:33.by. I also noted on the radio this morning the deputy commander of

:30:34. > :30:37.coalition forces said that everything had been done to protect

:30:38. > :30:41.citizens, but he went on to describe amnesty's report as naive and

:30:42. > :30:48.reckless. This is in the week that the Saudi Arabia arms sale report

:30:49. > :30:51.was... Can I say, we are interested in the context of the Amnesty

:30:52. > :30:56.report, but there is in no need for a verbatim with vegetation of the

:30:57. > :31:01.contents. Progress has been laminated least slow, but much more

:31:02. > :31:09.widely, not just that of the gentleman. I'm sure the honourable

:31:10. > :31:14.gentleman is reaching his end. We need a new democratic settlement in

:31:15. > :31:18.the province. What is her department doing, and what is our ambassador

:31:19. > :31:29.doing to make sure we include minorities in that settlement?

:31:30. > :31:35.The Coalition forces have made an effort -- every effort to protect

:31:36. > :31:47.civilians, but we're working on stabilisation with all partners to

:31:48. > :31:51.support and rebuild Mosul. I pay tribute to the Iraqi security forces

:31:52. > :31:55.and indeed the British Armed Forces for their work. Could the Secretary

:31:56. > :31:59.of State say what is the situation with another humanitarian threat to

:32:00. > :32:04.the people of Mosul, which is the Mosul Dam which is an incredibly

:32:05. > :32:12.dangerous condition and threatens the city of Mosul, being upstream

:32:13. > :32:16.from it? It is a situation where we are working to put all of it in in

:32:17. > :32:20.terms of the support that is required in that particular area. We

:32:21. > :32:24.will continue to do that, and it is an ongoing situation so we are

:32:25. > :32:31.obviously being very active in the support we can give. Last November I

:32:32. > :32:36.raised a point of the thousands of women and children who were being

:32:37. > :32:41.held in slavery by Daesh in Mosul. I asked the Government if they would

:32:42. > :32:44.seek to provide specialist psychological care once the

:32:45. > :32:48.liberalisation of Mosul had been complete. Could the Minister tell

:32:49. > :32:55.me, never Daesh have been driven from the city, what plans the

:32:56. > :32:58.Government have in place to deal with the specific psychological and

:32:59. > :33:01.physical needs and the winds of one of the most wickedly abused

:33:02. > :33:09.communities on this planet? -- the wounds. I refer to the comment I

:33:10. > :33:15.made earlier on about the support we are providing. Health in terms of

:33:16. > :33:17.medical but also mental and psychological support, it is

:33:18. > :33:25.essential after the abhorrent nature of this conflict. Whilst welcoming

:33:26. > :33:30.the resources the Government are making available for the relief of

:33:31. > :33:33.the suffering from the conflict, can she ensure that the international

:33:34. > :33:37.community at no stage is going to lose focus on the politics of the

:33:38. > :33:41.settlement among Mosul, make sure we are not going to have the continued

:33:42. > :33:46.institutionalised marginalisation of the complex number of communities

:33:47. > :33:53.around Mosul, and they all have a stake in the future. My friend is

:33:54. > :33:56.right to speak about the political stabilisation, and inclusivity as

:33:57. > :33:59.well in terms of the rebuilding that needs to happen. And we will

:34:00. > :34:08.continue to work with the Prime Minister and the Government as well

:34:09. > :34:14.in Iraq to ensure this happens. The tributes the Secretary of State have

:34:15. > :34:20.made my right, and the ambition is commendable. But the question is how

:34:21. > :34:24.is this going to be achieved? People talk facile me about learning the

:34:25. > :34:30.lessons from Iraq, but is it not an example of the correct -- collective

:34:31. > :34:39.failure to reach construct but culture that -- reconstruct that

:34:40. > :34:41.culture that many Sunni families sought to seek Daesh as they were

:34:42. > :34:51.dumped rather than the marauding killers they were? What role with

:34:52. > :34:56.the UK Government play? We will play our part in every single way that is

:34:57. > :35:00.necessary, because there are no easy solutions to rebuilding a country,

:35:01. > :35:05.and also making a country of relational and functional again

:35:06. > :35:10.after such an abhorrent and appalling conflict. So we will

:35:11. > :35:14.continue to support the Iraqi Government, obviously in the

:35:15. > :35:17.response that is required but also in that inclusivity, getting the

:35:18. > :35:25.politics and security right and getting the stabilisation right.

:35:26. > :35:29.Does my right honourable friend agree that reconstruction depends

:35:30. > :35:35.crucially on removing the mines and booby traps? And is she satisfied

:35:36. > :35:39.that there are adequate capacity there and enough money allocated to

:35:40. > :35:47.deal with this task speedily, and is there any timetable? Well, again,

:35:48. > :35:51.this is a vital area in terms of clearing the mines and the IUDs, and

:35:52. > :35:55.the support we will provide, so first of all the British Government

:35:56. > :36:00.has provided specific support, and we will be working through the

:36:01. > :36:04.various funds in Government but also supporting the mine action service

:36:05. > :36:09.as well on this, but this is not an easy task at all because of what has

:36:10. > :36:13.happened. The level of destruction in Iraq has been atrocious, so yes,

:36:14. > :36:17.I work is cut out but we will give all the necessary support to ensure

:36:18. > :36:25.that mines are cleared and land is returned back to the use in needs to

:36:26. > :36:30.receive. The liberalisation of Mosul is undoubtedly a very significant

:36:31. > :36:34.step in the defeat of this evil terror. But does the Secretary of

:36:35. > :36:40.State agree that it is just as important now that we make sure that

:36:41. > :36:45.the rebuilding of communities and the deradicalisation of this

:36:46. > :36:50.communities is just as important in that defeat? It is absolutely right,

:36:51. > :36:54.deradicalisation has to be a future of the stabilisation approach, and

:36:55. > :36:57.the rebuilding, but also bringing back together those communities that

:36:58. > :37:01.have become so divided and fractions. Once again, Britain will

:37:02. > :37:06.lead the way on this and provide all the necessary support to the Iraqi

:37:07. > :37:11.Government in doing our bit to bring that stability and peace to the

:37:12. > :37:16.country. The atrocities of Daesh have failed to deliver a so-called

:37:17. > :37:22.caliphate. My right honourable friend rightly recognises the role

:37:23. > :37:26.of the Iraqi forces, but can she also recognise the role of the

:37:27. > :37:31.female fighters and share what work has been done to ensure their work

:37:32. > :37:39.despite their voices heard during the construction? First of all, the

:37:40. > :37:48.point of reconstruction has been a hard fought battle. All -- the

:37:49. > :37:53.stabilisation will have to take place, but the focus has to be on

:37:54. > :37:56.bringing together the minority groups of all communities that have

:37:57. > :38:02.been divided through this atrocious conflict. May I join the right

:38:03. > :38:06.honourable lady in paying tribute to our brave servicemen and women and

:38:07. > :38:10.also welcomed the announcement in her statement and UK humanitarian

:38:11. > :38:13.aid, but can I price on what specific funding will be offered to

:38:14. > :38:20.women and girls who have been subject to the most unimaginable

:38:21. > :38:27.sexual violence and heart -- hands of Daesh? We will be providing

:38:28. > :38:32.humanitarian support required, but also, four to 6000 vulnerable and

:38:33. > :38:38.displaced people, many women and girls, -- 40 6000. They will also

:38:39. > :38:44.receive support from the money we are announcing today. -- 40 6000.

:38:45. > :38:51.You accrue the liberalisation of Mosul is a vindication for both

:38:52. > :38:56.sides of this House, to give our allies the support they needed, but

:38:57. > :39:01.which in their agree that one of the most vital things is getting them

:39:02. > :39:04.back to work, and most -- what specific work for her department be

:39:05. > :39:11.doing to bring Mosul's economy back to life?

:39:12. > :39:14.Are great opportunity now is in rebuilding the country, putting

:39:15. > :39:18.infrastructure in place, but also working collectively with many of

:39:19. > :39:27.our party -- partners but also the companies that will do -- go in

:39:28. > :39:29.there. That is a major feature of the stabilisation and rebuilding

:39:30. > :39:34.work that DFID is leading on, with our colleagues across Government but

:39:35. > :39:44.also working it's nationally with our counterparts. Point of order.

:39:45. > :39:49.ICQ guide is to find out whether you have had any notice from the

:39:50. > :39:54.Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on an appendix statement on

:39:55. > :39:59.the HMRC building programme. His department had to play MIDI over its

:40:00. > :40:03.decision to move over 1000 jobs from my constituents is to Edinburgh,

:40:04. > :40:07.despite the fact there was a report damning the future building

:40:08. > :40:12.programme just before the election, and as things stand, questions are

:40:13. > :40:17.being made about inappropriate use of funds during powder, until we

:40:18. > :40:21.have those answers, the public and my constituents can not have

:40:22. > :40:26.confidence in this Parliament and its processes. I thank the

:40:27. > :40:31.honourable lady for her point of order. In short I have received no

:40:32. > :40:35.indication from the Secretary of State for work and pensions of an

:40:36. > :40:38.intention to come to this -- the House to make an oral statement, I

:40:39. > :40:43.think something has been announced either in the form of a written

:40:44. > :40:45.statement or some media communication, but something out

:40:46. > :40:50.with what I would call oral discourse. That said, the honourable

:40:51. > :40:54.lady in her relatively short time in the House has become an adroit

:40:55. > :40:59.deployer of the various mechanisms available to her to pursue the

:41:00. > :41:04.interests of her constituents. There are some days to go before the House

:41:05. > :41:07.rises for the summer recess, and if she judges there is an urgency

:41:08. > :41:10.attached to this matter, I'm sure she will have records to the

:41:11. > :41:14.appropriate mechanism and I will look out for it. What's more, I

:41:15. > :41:18.rather imagine the honourable lady will be in her seat, they picked up

:41:19. > :41:25.and down from it, and business questions tomorrow. -- and leaping

:41:26. > :41:28.up and down. Speaker-macro, many people including myself will be

:41:29. > :41:31.disappointed to read in today's paper that the Prime Minister has

:41:32. > :41:36.postponed the publication of a report that she ordered, to audit

:41:37. > :41:41.and examine how people of different backgrounds are treated by public

:41:42. > :41:46.services as part of her mission to tackle burning injustices. The

:41:47. > :41:51.reason for this delay is record -- reportedly because it is explosive

:41:52. > :41:56.and pretty bad. Given the genuine and growing concern of this issue,

:41:57. > :41:59.is it in order for the Prime Minister to postpone publication

:42:00. > :42:03.because she does not like the findings, and it would look bad for

:42:04. > :42:07.her Government? And is there a way Parliament can have sight of this

:42:08. > :42:11.report that the Prime Minister is trying to hide? The short answer to

:42:12. > :42:15.the honourable lady is that nothing disorderly has taken place. The

:42:16. > :42:21.timing of Government statements and indeed the release of Government

:42:22. > :42:26.reports are matters for Government ministers rather than for the chair.

:42:27. > :42:30.If however there is a completed report, and the honourable lady and

:42:31. > :42:37.others are keen to know its contents and are not care -- labour is -- I'm

:42:38. > :42:40.not clear that is no compelling reason it should not be published

:42:41. > :42:49.sooner rather than later, it is open to the honourable lady before summer

:42:50. > :42:52.recess to cajole or entice an appropriate Minister to come to the

:42:53. > :42:57.House. I cannot commit that that will happen, but I have this keen

:42:58. > :43:00.sense that the honourable lady will be returning to the issue, and

:43:01. > :43:08.probably seeking some sort of adjudication from me in the days

:43:09. > :43:12.ahead. Point of order, Debbie Abrahams. Parred during Prime

:43:13. > :43:16.Minister's Questions, the first secretary claimed that people with

:43:17. > :43:19.mental health conditions are more likely to be supported by personal

:43:20. > :43:23.independence payment than by disability living allowance. The

:43:24. > :43:28.mental health charity mind has made it clear that 55% of people with

:43:29. > :43:34.mental health conditions transferring from DLA have no award

:43:35. > :43:37.or a reduced award. I would be grateful if you could advise me on

:43:38. > :43:41.how we can have the record corrected.

:43:42. > :43:46.I think it is fair to say that the honourable lady has found her own

:43:47. > :43:51.salvation. In that she has put her fought on the record in

:43:52. > :43:55.characteristically robust but also, thankfully, pithy form. -- her

:43:56. > :44:01.thought. And it will now form part of the official report. And I am

:44:02. > :44:04.well aware, and I would be failing in my duty if I were not well aware,

:44:05. > :44:10.but the honourable lady has very strong views on this matter. And

:44:11. > :44:13.that those mad -- views differ markedly from those of the first

:44:14. > :44:18.Secretary of State. I think it is fair to say this is probably a

:44:19. > :44:24.matter for debate, but we should leave it there, albeit only for

:44:25. > :44:31.today. If there are no further points of order, we come now to the

:44:32. > :44:43.general debate on the ground full tower fire inquiry. -- Grenfell

:44:44. > :44:50.Tower fire inquiry. I am looking to the first Secretary of State. I

:44:51. > :44:55.begin by expressing my deepest sympathy to all those who lost

:44:56. > :44:58.family members and other loved ones in this terrible tragedy, their

:44:59. > :45:02.suffering's beyond imagining. Our thoughts also go out to those who

:45:03. > :45:07.lost their homes and possessions. Since that terrible event on the

:45:08. > :45:12.14th of June, one month ago, we have all been deeply affected by this

:45:13. > :45:17.unprecedented tragedy, and words feel inadequate. I would like to pay

:45:18. > :45:20.tribute to the men and women of our emergency services, many of whom

:45:21. > :45:23.risked life and limb in their efforts to tackle the fire, and

:45:24. > :45:28.showed extraordinary courage in their determination to save lives,

:45:29. > :45:33.and also equally importantly to the many volunteers and charities who

:45:34. > :45:37.have given their time and much, much more to help the bereaved and those

:45:38. > :45:44.who have lost their homes. They return to the purpose of the debate.

:45:45. > :45:47.The chair of the Grenfell Tower inquiry is currently consulting over

:45:48. > :45:53.the scope of the inquiry's terms of reference. To this debate -- this

:45:54. > :45:57.debate provides an opportunity for Parliament to provide its views

:45:58. > :46:01.about an inquiry before these terms are set. It is most important the

:46:02. > :46:05.chair listens to the views of those most affected by the tragedy, and

:46:06. > :46:10.takes account of those views when considering the scope of his

:46:11. > :46:14.enquiries' terms of reference. But I am sure some autumn will want to

:46:15. > :46:21.reflect on the views expressed in this House today, and of course we

:46:22. > :46:24.should all be conscious that the survivors of the terrible tragedy

:46:25. > :46:34.will also be listening to what is said in this House today. And

:46:35. > :46:38.grateful to my honourable friend forgiving way so early on, but does

:46:39. > :46:42.he agree that it is important to have an interim report, because if

:46:43. > :46:46.there are recommendations which affect crucial health issues with

:46:47. > :46:53.high-rise blocks, then that needs to be attended to as soon as possible.

:46:54. > :46:58.My honourable friend is correct and he may be aware that there is an

:46:59. > :47:06.intention to produce an interim report as soon as possible because I

:47:07. > :47:11.am conscious that one of the great wishes of many of the survivors and

:47:12. > :47:16.the groups representing them is of a quicker resolution as possible and

:47:17. > :47:24.in answer to as many as the questions as possible. I thank the

:47:25. > :47:27.first trip to forgiving way. On the scope of the report, I'm sure there

:47:28. > :47:32.will be many reports through the debate and I do not want to widen it

:47:33. > :47:37.too far, but can he assures macro that the scope will look at private

:47:38. > :47:41.blocks and not just be confined to social housing, because in my

:47:42. > :47:44.experience as a city centre MP, it is often more difficult for

:47:45. > :47:50.residents to have their voice heard when you have opaque ownership and

:47:51. > :47:54.managing agents who are not responsive to residents in private

:47:55. > :47:58.blocks rather than the social box? The honourable lady makes a good

:47:59. > :48:03.point. I cannot guarantee what the terms of reference would be because

:48:04. > :48:08.that is a matter for Sir Martin, but one of the purposes of this debate

:48:09. > :48:15.is for views like that precisely to be expressed on the issue of private

:48:16. > :48:19.blocks, I am happy to assure her and the house that the testing regime

:48:20. > :48:26.for the safety of blocks does extend to private blocks as well. Would you

:48:27. > :48:33.say what has happened to the independent task force by his

:48:34. > :48:37.colleague, if it has not yet been convened, if we do not know the

:48:38. > :48:40.members are what they are doing, would he reconsider sending in

:48:41. > :48:46.Commissioners, particularly given what we heard this morning that the

:48:47. > :48:50.person that task of force are reporting to, who despite being a

:48:51. > :48:53.councillor for 11 years has not been inside a tower block despite being a

:48:54. > :49:01.canned net years for five years has not been seen fit to go to any of

:49:02. > :49:07.the tower blocks in her borough? I can reassure the honourable

:49:08. > :49:10.gentleman that the task force will be reporting to my honourable friend

:49:11. > :49:14.the Secretary of State and not to Kensington Council, so I hope that

:49:15. > :49:22.provides him with reassurances. It is an independent body reporting to

:49:23. > :49:27.the Secretary of State. Could the Secretary of State clarify for us

:49:28. > :49:34.that the costs struck back task force has any authority whatsoever

:49:35. > :49:40.or is it advisory? It is an advisory not an executive panel reporting to

:49:41. > :49:44.the Secretary of State which I think is the proper way to proceed. In his

:49:45. > :49:51.statement announcing the Inquirer, the Prime Minister that's can I make

:49:52. > :49:57.some progress's? We're saying the task force has no authority and the

:49:58. > :50:03.authority remains with the council, so that is a distinction between the

:50:04. > :50:06.task force powers and the powers that would be available to a

:50:07. > :50:12.Commissioner if a commission was appointed? The task force will be

:50:13. > :50:18.overseeing what the council does, but as I have said to his honourable

:50:19. > :50:21.friends, it will be reporting to the secretary of state who can then

:50:22. > :50:26.decide the appropriate way to recede, so it is independent of the

:50:27. > :50:33.council, it is not reporting to the council and it will oversee what the

:50:34. > :50:36.council is doing. The Prime Minister identified the immediate priority

:50:37. > :50:39.when she announced the inquiry. Establishing the facts of what

:50:40. > :50:43.happened at Grenfell Tower in order to take the necessary action to

:50:44. > :50:48.prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. In Carrie will fill

:50:49. > :50:55.that and report in two phases with an interim report being published as

:50:56. > :50:59.soon as possible. Beyond that, it is important that all the wider lessons

:51:00. > :51:03.from this catastrophe and the inspections of other buildings

:51:04. > :51:09.around the country that followed it are identified and learnt. The

:51:10. > :51:13.Samaritan has said, and I quote, I shall make it clear that I want to

:51:14. > :51:17.consider a broad range of evidence including on the role of relevant

:51:18. > :51:21.public authorities and contractors to help me answer the important

:51:22. > :51:27.questions. I give way to the honourable lady. I'm grateful to the

:51:28. > :51:29.Housing minister on answering my written question. I find it

:51:30. > :51:33.extraordinary there is no central management or any records kept of

:51:34. > :51:36.housing contracts within the housing department. There is no situation

:51:37. > :51:45.where there is no accountability and trams currency. And the degree to

:51:46. > :51:49.which housing contracts are then contacted to other private

:51:50. > :51:55.providers. In view of this, with the Government advise whether there are

:51:56. > :52:02.plans to revisit this? There are a large range of issues on which the

:52:03. > :52:07.inquiry may well wish to make augmentation to the Government and

:52:08. > :52:13.the Honourable lady has put that thought on the records now and as I

:52:14. > :52:19.have said previously as Sir Martin will wish to take note of the views

:52:20. > :52:22.expressed during this debate. I am grateful to my honourable friend. On

:52:23. > :52:28.the wider point, he will appreciate that many of the survivors suffered

:52:29. > :52:33.from carbon monoxide poisoning. This is known as the silent killer and

:52:34. > :52:37.will he ensure that among the other lessons learned the planned and

:52:38. > :52:43.proposed review of carbon monoxide alarms does actually go ahead in

:52:44. > :52:49.October of this year? My honourable friend makes an extremely good point

:52:50. > :52:54.of the wider point about the range of lessons that need to be learned

:52:55. > :52:58.from this terrible tragedy and has he will know, there is an expert

:52:59. > :53:05.panel that will be helping the inquiry that will have a range of

:53:06. > :53:10.Cesc skills and expertise in areas and he has given rise to an

:53:11. > :53:14.important issue which is not just Government but the inquiry itself

:53:15. > :53:20.will want to look at. As the inquiry... I am brittle to the

:53:21. > :53:24.Minister for giving way. He is right that no stone should be left

:53:25. > :53:28.unturned in in covering the truth behind the horror that was the

:53:29. > :53:33.Grenfell Tower fire, but when we talk about wider lessons and action

:53:34. > :53:39.in the meantime, can I ask this question? Birmingham has 231 tower

:53:40. > :53:43.blocks, the City Council has rightly decided that it will retrofit

:53:44. > :53:49.sprinklers in all of those blocks. That will cost ?31 million and the

:53:50. > :53:54.council has suffered ?700 million of cuts to their budget. Will the

:53:55. > :53:58.Government unequivocally commit to funding all necessary safety

:53:59. > :54:05.measures pending the outcome of the inquiry? The safety measures that

:54:06. > :54:07.are recommended by the Fire Service, the honourable friend of Secretary

:54:08. > :54:12.of State of communities has said will be met by the Government, so

:54:13. > :54:17.those are the necessary measures that the Fire Service recommends all

:54:18. > :54:23.stop the inquiry is designed to ascertain the causes of the

:54:24. > :54:27.tragedy... For clarity, I believe that the Minister has dismayed a

:54:28. > :54:34.very important statement. Is he saying that the necessary safety

:54:35. > :54:39.measures to protect what are 10,000 households in 231 blocks will be

:54:40. > :54:46.funded by the Government? For clarity, let me look at, let me go

:54:47. > :54:49.through this, that if the Fire Service recommends that something

:54:50. > :54:56.needs to be done for safety reasons, and if the local authorities will be

:54:57. > :55:01.the first Pope 's call to pay for that I'm sure they will want to

:55:02. > :55:06.follow the Fire Service's recommendation in this, if the local

:55:07. > :55:11.authority can show it cannot afford it, then central Government will

:55:12. > :55:18.step in. That is a matter for local authorities and the Fire Service in

:55:19. > :55:23.the first instance which is clearly be sensible way to proceed. The

:55:24. > :55:27.inquiry will clearly need to examine all other than circumstances. I

:55:28. > :55:32.think there have been very generous in giving way. I really need to make

:55:33. > :55:35.some progress. The inquiry will need to examine all relevant

:55:36. > :55:38.circumstances leading up to is an surrounding the fire at Grenfell

:55:39. > :55:41.Tower. It spread to the whole of the building and its effect on

:55:42. > :55:46.residents. That means looking at circumstances well beyond the design

:55:47. > :55:50.and construction and modification of the building itself will stop it

:55:51. > :55:53.will mean looking at the relevant public authorities and contractors

:55:54. > :55:59.and the broader implications of the fire for the adequacy and

:56:00. > :56:03.enforcement of regulations. It means looking at the handling of concerns

:56:04. > :56:08.previously expressed by local residents. Sir Martin is highly

:56:09. > :56:12.respected. Can I make some progress? And countries there are many who

:56:13. > :56:17.want to contribute and I have been extremely generous in giving way. I

:56:18. > :56:22.think the House will benefit from progress. Sir Martin is highly

:56:23. > :56:26.respected and as a recently retired Court of Appeal judge he brings many

:56:27. > :56:30.years of judicial experience. Sir Martin and the Government agree that

:56:31. > :56:35.for this inquiry, consulting on the terms of reference is an important

:56:36. > :56:39.way of involving those affected by the tragedy. It is clearly right

:56:40. > :56:43.that those affected by this terrible tragedy and others with an interest

:56:44. > :56:48.I given the opportunity to shape the terms of reference which will in

:56:49. > :56:52.turn give direction and focus to the inquiry. Sir Martin has started a

:56:53. > :56:56.consultation process and is keen to give as many people as possible the

:56:57. > :56:59.chance to contribute to the consultation. You will consider all

:57:00. > :57:02.suggestions given to him when drawing up the terms of reference.

:57:03. > :57:09.He will then make a recommendation to the PM who is responsible for

:57:10. > :57:15.setting out the terms of reference. I will give way again, but I wish to

:57:16. > :57:18.finish this section if I may one. Sir Martin said, and I will quote

:57:19. > :57:23.him at lines because I think this is at the heart of many of the issues

:57:24. > :57:27.that have arisen. He said I am determined to establish the causes

:57:28. > :57:30.of the tragedy and ensure the appropriate lessons are learned. To

:57:31. > :57:38.do this, the inquiry will need to look at all relevant

:57:39. > :57:41.circumstances... To understand the causes and prevent the tragedy

:57:42. > :57:46.happening again. To produce a report as quickly as possible with clear

:57:47. > :57:48.recommendations for action, I will listen to people and consider a

:57:49. > :57:56.broad range of evidence including on the role as contractors in order to

:57:57. > :58:00.help me answer this. I want to hear from people directly affected by the

:58:01. > :58:04.fire and others involved to listen to their views on the shape of the

:58:05. > :58:08.inquiry and the questions we should be seeking to answer. This is

:58:09. > :58:13.clearly the right approach to take. Sir Martin has set a deadline of

:58:14. > :58:17.Friday the 28th of July extended by two weeks from the inquiry's

:58:18. > :58:20.original deadline following discussions between Sir Martin and

:58:21. > :58:25.survivors of the fire and other residents of the estate which made

:58:26. > :58:29.clear that those affected need more time to respond to the consultation.

:58:30. > :58:35.This extension will allow the inquiry to begin its work in August.

:58:36. > :58:39.I'm sure we all agree the sooner the inquiry can begin, the sooner we

:58:40. > :58:43.will have the important conclusions of its report. It's important to

:58:44. > :58:49.point out that the others will be able to feed into the enquiries are

:58:50. > :58:52.being choir read by writing to the inquiry are e-mailing the contact

:58:53. > :58:59.address provided on the inquiry website. The terms of reference can

:59:00. > :59:04.be revised 20 cars of the inquiry which is likely that it reflects on

:59:05. > :59:11.what it has learned adding interim report stage before it starts phase

:59:12. > :59:14.two of its work. I thank my honourable friend for giving way and

:59:15. > :59:18.I am heartened to hear about the inclusive CV of this inquiry. The

:59:19. > :59:20.book safety must be at the forefront, so would my honourable

:59:21. > :59:25.friend 's comment on whether he might look at historically and

:59:26. > :59:29.confirm whether the inquiry will look into the effectiveness of the

:59:30. > :59:35.fire regulations and the enforcement regime that was enforced in 2005 and

:59:36. > :59:44.six respectively. My honourable friend raises a valid and important

:59:45. > :59:48.point. I can assure that the expert panel which covers a range of

:59:49. > :59:53.expertise is already looking at art and that will feed into the inquiry.

:59:54. > :59:58.The honourable gentleman wishes me to give way. Following on from the

:59:59. > :00:01.question from his honourable friend, the building regulations should be

:00:02. > :00:08.chief review because this country it is usually ten years, it now 11. It

:00:09. > :00:12.was recommended in 2013 the regulation should be reviewed, the

:00:13. > :00:16.Government has been saying since 2011 and after that they would be

:00:17. > :00:20.done by this year. We do not have too wait for a Republican choir two

:00:21. > :00:24.save the building regulations should be reviewed. When can we expect the

:00:25. > :00:31.working party to be re-called to show the work is underway now? I

:00:32. > :00:34.appreciated the honourable gentleman has huge experience and expertise in

:00:35. > :00:39.this particular area and I can assure him that one of the things

:00:40. > :00:43.the expert panel is to ring is seeing if there is still advise

:00:44. > :00:45.needed to be given urgently to the Secretary of State which needs to be

:00:46. > :00:54.acted on, so that is The Secretary of State is right

:00:55. > :00:58.there should be this consultation to try to help rebuild trust of the

:00:59. > :01:01.local community in the inquiry, but should there not be an advisory

:01:02. > :01:08.panel that has genuine community members, that are diverse and are

:01:09. > :01:14.from the community, to advise the panel?

:01:15. > :01:18.The right honourable gentleman may know that there is already, if you

:01:19. > :01:26.like, something similar to what he is suggested, a group called

:01:27. > :01:28.Grenfell United, which indeed my right honourable friend the

:01:29. > :01:35.Secretary of State and the Minister met last night for a long and

:01:36. > :01:40.extensive meeting, so I can assure him that the views of those most

:01:41. > :01:45.affected are obviously being fed into Sir Martin directly, but they

:01:46. > :01:50.are also having direct communication with the Secretary of State as well.

:01:51. > :01:54.In terms of the potential appointment of panel members, the

:01:55. > :01:57.priority at this stage is for consultation on the terms of

:01:58. > :02:01.reference, which once agreed will allow the inquiry to start work. The

:02:02. > :02:08.chair will also want to consider what expert assistance might be

:02:09. > :02:12.required, including the process of consultation. But I want to ensure

:02:13. > :02:17.the House that Government work is already in hand to address issues

:02:18. > :02:23.highlighted by this terrible tragedy. DC LG on the Cabinet Office

:02:24. > :02:27.are working together across the piece, and the wider building safety

:02:28. > :02:32.probe -- programme which are no honourable members on all sides have

:02:33. > :02:35.been concerned about. They have ripped all councils and housing

:02:36. > :02:42.associations, calling for checks to social -- social housing. Have

:02:43. > :02:48.written to. -- they have written to. A request a Government department --

:02:49. > :02:58.departments and on's men's bodies, to submit samples for testing from

:02:59. > :03:02.priority building... I thank him for giving way. I would like to ask the

:03:03. > :03:08.first secretary if he is aware of a lot of the advice has been quite

:03:09. > :03:11.contradictory. We appeared initially to be informed that certain types of

:03:12. > :03:15.cladding had to be removed, that then seemed to be changed to a

:03:16. > :03:19.position where certain types could be safe in fire systems, we also had

:03:20. > :03:25.a lack of clarity about whether that testing regime was compulsory, and

:03:26. > :03:29.now we are informed that actually the department was responding to

:03:30. > :03:32.landlords' concerns. If the Secretary of State aware that this

:03:33. > :03:37.kind of flip-flopping is to -- causing a lot of confusion and

:03:38. > :03:48.concern especially to tenants. The expert panel are continuing to

:03:49. > :03:51.provide the advice. The advice has been consistently followed by the

:03:52. > :03:58.department, because clearly they have the expertise to do so. So they

:03:59. > :04:03.may well discover more, and decide that the first is to change, but it

:04:04. > :04:11.is all done on the basis of experts in fire safety who are independent

:04:12. > :04:17.of Government... I'm grateful to the first secretary for giving way. As

:04:18. > :04:20.somebody who grew up in a two bed council block of flats, the

:04:21. > :04:26.traditional advice was always stay put and await rescue. I wonder how

:04:27. > :04:34.many souls perished following the traditional advice that tenants

:04:35. > :04:41.took, and is that advice changing? That is clearly an issue that may

:04:42. > :04:44.well be addressed by Sir Martin and the public inquiry, that is clearly

:04:45. > :04:50.the appropriate form for that sort of investigation to be made. Labour

:04:51. > :04:56.I am grateful to the first secretary. Even as we speak, before

:04:57. > :04:59.this inquiry has begun, there continue to be new tower blocks

:05:00. > :05:03.being constricted and developed in my constituency and around the

:05:04. > :05:08.country. Can the Secretary of State say what you advice has been given

:05:09. > :05:14.to planning authorities and those who monitor construction standards,

:05:15. > :05:19.and to the building industry? The expert panel has published new

:05:20. > :05:22.advice which was published last week, with a memorandum of

:05:23. > :05:28.understanding about what should be done about new blocks, so that issue

:05:29. > :05:35.has very directly been addressed over the past month. Returning to

:05:36. > :05:41.the issues... One more. I thank him for giving way. In relation to the

:05:42. > :05:47.points that have just been raised, I have constituents, people with

:05:48. > :05:50.disabilities who live on high flaws in tower blocks who have raised

:05:51. > :05:59.grave concerns about what they should do in the event of emergency.

:06:00. > :06:07.-- high floors. Particularly with regard to whether they should be

:06:08. > :06:13.taking lifts. Would advice of the state should be part of the extended

:06:14. > :06:18.enquiries? The smack of this nature. That are already rules in place --

:06:19. > :06:24.obviously there are rules that are in place.

:06:25. > :06:29.The fire safety advisers are looking at what happened and what should

:06:30. > :06:34.happen in future, but it will be the local fire safety authorities that

:06:35. > :06:37.give that advice. And I'm sure all of them will have been looking very

:06:38. > :06:42.carefully at the advice they have been giving, particularly to people

:06:43. > :06:46.wheelchairs who clearly will be very understandably concerned at whether

:06:47. > :06:50.they are getting the right safety advice, so I would advise her to

:06:51. > :06:54.talk to her local fire safety officials. If I can return to the

:06:55. > :06:58.actions that have been taken over the past month, the Cabinet Office

:06:59. > :07:03.has established a cross Government working group, with a technical

:07:04. > :07:08.subgroup, to ensure that all technical advice is understood and

:07:09. > :07:11.is being properly applied. Government is ensuring full

:07:12. > :07:15.engagement and alignment with activity in the devolved

:07:16. > :07:19.administrations, and -- as I am conscious they will be particularly

:07:20. > :07:26.concerned about this as well. DCLG has formed an expert advisory panel

:07:27. > :07:31.made up of fire safety and building experts, to advise Government on any

:07:32. > :07:35.immediate action required to ensure buildings are safe, and the Cabinet

:07:36. > :07:40.Office is working with DCLG's expert panel and others to establish a

:07:41. > :07:45.remediation plan and next steps towards the review of building

:07:46. > :07:49.regulations that several members have asked for. All of this is

:07:50. > :07:54.underway outside the inquiry's timetable, so its completion will

:07:55. > :07:58.not be dependent on completion of the inquiry's report. I note some of

:07:59. > :08:04.those affected by this terrible event are concerned that an inquest

:08:05. > :08:08.would be more appropriate than an inquiry, and that the inquiry might

:08:09. > :08:14.delay ratification of those who died. I can reassure them there will

:08:15. > :08:18.be an inquest -- identification. The coroner is already investigating the

:08:19. > :08:22.deaths. Once the identification of each of the deceased has been

:08:23. > :08:26.completed, I understand the coroner will open inquest into each

:08:27. > :08:30.individual death and then adjourn proceedings pending the outcome of

:08:31. > :08:34.other investigations including the inquiry. The coroner will consider

:08:35. > :08:37.the inquiry's recommendations to determine whether to resume inquest.

:08:38. > :08:43.Therefore this process will not delay the formal identification of

:08:44. > :08:46.victims. I should also reassure those who want a criminal

:08:47. > :08:51.investigation into this terrible tragedy that this is in hand. The

:08:52. > :08:55.Metropolitan Police announced the investigation on the 16th of June,

:08:56. > :08:58.it is one of the largest and most complexes investigations ever

:08:59. > :09:04.undertaken by the Metropolitan Police, with around 250 specialist

:09:05. > :09:06.investigators currently engaged. I hope are honourable members will be

:09:07. > :09:13.reassured by the clear statements about the investigation by the

:09:14. > :09:15.Metropolitan Police. Detective Superintendent Philip McCormack said

:09:16. > :09:20.that the investigation would identify and investigate any

:09:21. > :09:24.criminal offence, and given the deaths of so many people, we are

:09:25. > :09:30.considering manslaughter as well as criminal offences and breaches of

:09:31. > :09:34.legislation and read -- regulations. A point reinforced by Sir Martin

:09:35. > :09:38.Hewitt who said, the investigation we are conducting is a criminal

:09:39. > :09:42.investigation, that quite obviously starting from the potential that

:09:43. > :09:48.there is something that effectively amounts to the manslaughter of those

:09:49. > :09:53.people. It is clear this will be a vigorous, detailed investigation.

:09:54. > :09:54.The police are determined that if wrongdoing has occurred, the

:09:55. > :10:08.perpetrators will be brought to justice. The Grenfell Tower

:10:09. > :10:16.inquiry's is of utmost importance. The Government will provide it with

:10:17. > :10:20.all the resources it needs to carry out its work thoroughly and rapidly.

:10:21. > :10:26.We must learn the lessons from this tragedy to ensure nothing like it

:10:27. > :10:32.happens again. Try the question is that this House has considered the

:10:33. > :10:43.Grenfell Tower fire inquiry. -- the question is. Today is four weeks to

:10:44. > :10:46.the days since the Grenfell Tower fire, the worst fire and greatest

:10:47. > :10:51.loss of life in this country at least since the London Blitz. 158

:10:52. > :10:57.families have lost their homes, many others have lost loved ones. And all

:10:58. > :11:03.struggling with the horror and the trauma of losing family members, of

:11:04. > :11:10.their own escape and being left with absolutely nothing. And this is the

:11:11. > :11:15.time when they feel -- should feel they can look to their council and

:11:16. > :11:18.their Government for help, as well as to the overwhelming solidarity

:11:19. > :11:26.and support of their local community. But so many do not, and

:11:27. > :11:31.so many feel they simply cannot trust those in authority to listen

:11:32. > :11:38.to them, and to do what they promise. So this is a very strong

:11:39. > :11:43.message to ministers, to Kensington and Chelsea Council, and to the

:11:44. > :11:50.chair of the Prime Minister's public inquiry. Madam Deputy Speaker, today

:11:51. > :11:56.is one week on from the Prime Minister's deadline for everyone

:11:57. > :12:01.affected to be found a home nearby, yet just four of the 158 families

:12:02. > :12:07.from Grenfell Tower have moved into a fresh home, and this is only

:12:08. > :12:10.temporary. Today is 24 days on from the start of the Government's

:12:11. > :12:17.testing programme when the Prime Minister said, we can test over 100

:12:18. > :12:22.buildings a day, yet only 224 tests have been done, almost all on one

:12:23. > :12:30.type of filler in one type of cladding. Today is four years and

:12:31. > :12:34.four months on since two official coroner 's' reports following other

:12:35. > :12:38.fatal tower block fires, yet the Government has still failed to act

:12:39. > :12:45.on their recommendations. And today is almost three weeks since the

:12:46. > :12:52.Prime Minister said, and I quote, "We simply have not given enough

:12:53. > :12:56.attention to social housing," and yet, in her speech yesterday crying

:12:57. > :13:01.out for any ideas for a domestic policy programme, there was no

:13:02. > :13:06.mention of housing, and no mention of the words "Social housing." This

:13:07. > :13:13.is the measure of the Government's response to the Grenfell Tower

:13:14. > :13:17.tragedy. Too slow to act, too slow to grasp the gravity and the

:13:18. > :13:23.complexity of the problems, one step off the pace at every stage. So let

:13:24. > :13:30.me spell out the First Minister and his colleagues. This is the pledge

:13:31. > :13:35.that this party makes, as the official opposition, above all to

:13:36. > :13:40.the survivors and the relatives of the families from Grenfell Tower. We

:13:41. > :13:46.will not rest until all those who need help and a new home have it. We

:13:47. > :13:50.will not rest until all those culpable have been brought fully to

:13:51. > :13:55.account. And we will not rest until all measures needed to make sure

:13:56. > :14:03.this can never, ever happen again are fully in place. Now, we welcome

:14:04. > :14:07.the Prime Minister's public inquiry, we welcome what the First Minister

:14:08. > :14:11.said this afternoon about this debate, helping to inform the terms

:14:12. > :14:17.of reference and the way the inquiry will begin ducted. -- will be

:14:18. > :14:21.conducted. We will make a submission to the Prime Minister on the terms

:14:22. > :14:26.of reference, and we will recommend an approach like the MacPherson

:14:27. > :14:33.inquiry, with panel members, appointed with a deep experience in

:14:34. > :14:36.community relations, to help overcome this serious gulf in trust

:14:37. > :14:44.that many in the North Kensington community feel. Let me turn to

:14:45. > :14:50.housing and help the survivors. The pledges the Government have made to

:14:51. > :14:55.the families and survivors promised no strings financial assistance,

:14:56. > :14:59.open access to trauma counselling, guaranteed school places, no legal

:15:00. > :15:04.action on immigration status or subletting, and we housing, are all

:15:05. > :15:11.welcome and all important. But there is still a big gap between what

:15:12. > :15:14.ministers are saying to us in this House, and what the residents and

:15:15. > :15:23.community in North Kensington are saying is happening to them. On

:15:24. > :15:26.housing, how is it, one week after the Prime Minister's deadline, that

:15:27. > :15:30.only four families have moved into a fresh home, and 13 others have been

:15:31. > :15:40.offered somewhere they feel they can say yes to? Who is finding, checking

:15:41. > :15:42.and offering this temporary accommodation? Who is providing

:15:43. > :15:49.reassurance needed for the families? Who is in charge?

:15:50. > :15:59.I thank him for giving way. These people, the rehousing as of the

:16:00. > :16:02.upmost importance. But to politicise about the figures and to argue, I

:16:03. > :16:08.don't know where he is getting the figures from, but I was led to

:16:09. > :16:10.believe that 139 people had received offers of accommodation and many

:16:11. > :16:16.families have agreed not yet to engage because they are not quite

:16:17. > :16:22.ready. So he cannot force them to either. I'm not sure be this

:16:23. > :16:24.statistics are coming from and whether all this scaremongering

:16:25. > :16:31.about statistics is helping solve the actual problem this government

:16:32. > :16:36.is getting on with doing. The speech was back in figure three. If I am

:16:37. > :16:47.wrong but only four of these families after one month have moved

:16:48. > :16:53.into a permanent home and are no longer in hotels, you can get up and

:16:54. > :16:58.correct me, but he is not. It is precisely the decisions and policies

:16:59. > :17:04.of those in power that the Grenfell Tower residents once challenged. And

:17:05. > :17:07.it is precisely the questions of policy, of ideology, of

:17:08. > :17:11.responsibility in government that lie at the heart of the deep changes

:17:12. > :17:22.needed to fix the housing crisis in this country and her own Prime

:17:23. > :17:31.Minister has recognised that. 159 families have been offered, as

:17:32. > :17:37.wearable friend said brightly. Some of those have said that they don't

:17:38. > :17:49.wish yet to make the move into the housing they have been offered.

:17:50. > :17:54.Everyone will recognise the needs to meet those wishes. I can assure him

:17:55. > :18:00.and the House that 159 of the families identified have been

:18:01. > :18:09.offered more than one accommodation. That commitment has been met. Thinks

:18:10. > :18:13.the Secretary of State might want to set the record entirely straight

:18:14. > :18:18.when he winds up this debate. I take him at his word for no. Last week,

:18:19. > :18:26.we were told there were 158 families who lost homes in the Grenfell

:18:27. > :18:30.Tower, 139 had been offered accommodation by the Prime

:18:31. > :18:36.Minister's deadline. Last week, only three had moved out. This week,

:18:37. > :18:41.today, for weeks on, four have moved out and only a further 13 have

:18:42. > :18:45.actually been given offers that they feel they can accept. Is a huge gap

:18:46. > :18:50.between what ministers are seeing here and what residents are saying

:18:51. > :18:56.they are. That is the problem and the question to the secretary and

:18:57. > :18:59.the Secretary of State, who is sorting this out, who is in charge,

:19:00. > :19:06.who is responsible for this continuing failure to provide the

:19:07. > :19:11.homes for people to start again that they need? I'm sure he would accept

:19:12. > :19:15.a hotel room is now home and temporary accommodation is no place

:19:16. > :19:21.to try to rebuild shattered life. So the top and the urgent priority must

:19:22. > :19:26.be for ministers to sign the permanent homes that are needed. Now

:19:27. > :19:31.we welcome the 68 homes in Kells internal role that now will be

:19:32. > :19:38.available as social housing for the residents of Grenfell Tower. -- in

:19:39. > :19:42.Kensington raw. The rest could be done straightforwardly by doing a

:19:43. > :19:47.deal with local housing associations to make new houses available, by

:19:48. > :19:51.leasing or buying vacant private properties in the area, and by

:19:52. > :19:55.funding the council to build or acquire new homes needed. It make

:19:56. > :20:01.even force Kensington and Chelsea to use some of that reported ?274

:20:02. > :20:09.million in reserves to take this urgent priority action. I give way.

:20:10. > :20:15.Most of the residents who have been decanted are in budget hotels, I

:20:16. > :20:20.know because I've visited a number who were unceremoniously dumped in

:20:21. > :20:24.my borough without money or change of clothes and have been there four

:20:25. > :20:27.weeks. None of those people either because they want to be there.

:20:28. > :20:39.They're there because they haven't been made appropriate offers. Does

:20:40. > :20:43.he agree with me that we should be offering decent homes to people who

:20:44. > :20:49.have suffered extraordinary trauma? I entirely agree with my honourable

:20:50. > :20:55.friend. He speaks from a very special authority as a neighbouring

:20:56. > :20:58.MP who has spent a great deal of the last four weeks in the North

:20:59. > :21:03.Kensington community working alongside our honourable friend, the

:21:04. > :21:07.new member for Kensington, to try to support and give voice to the

:21:08. > :21:13.concerns of residents and survivors. Let me move on to safety testing. It

:21:14. > :21:17.is totally unacceptable, for weeks on from the Grenfell Tower fire,

:21:18. > :21:24.that ministers still don't know and can't see how many of the country's

:21:25. > :21:29.other tower blocks are unsafe. And the government's testing programme

:21:30. > :21:37.is too slow, it is too narrow, it is to confuse. This is a testing

:21:38. > :21:43.programme in chaos. Only 224 tests done when an estimated 530 tower

:21:44. > :21:47.blocks have the same cladding. A total of 4000 tower blocks across

:21:48. > :21:55.the country, this means 24 days after the start of this testing

:21:56. > :22:00.programme, which we were told it could test 100 buildings a day, we

:22:01. > :22:04.find tests have been done on only half of the highest risk blocks and

:22:05. > :22:09.fewer than one in 20 of the total number of tower blocks around the

:22:10. > :22:14.country. Last week, the Secretary of State said there was no backlog in

:22:15. > :22:18.testing and tests would be processed within a matter of hours. Given the

:22:19. > :22:22.continuing shortfall in the number of high-rise buildings that have

:22:23. > :22:25.been subjected testing, but he sure my absolute bafflement that the

:22:26. > :22:33.government doesn't appear to know where any of this material actually

:22:34. > :22:38.is? Yes, I share your bafflement. I share it entirely. I also hear

:22:39. > :22:42.stories of councils and housing associations that want to test their

:22:43. > :22:49.buildings may not have the same type of cladding and they simply cannot

:22:50. > :22:53.get the tests. And I noticed again the first secretary's speech and his

:22:54. > :22:58.update to this House was entirely free of any facts or figures that

:22:59. > :23:02.can update us on the chaos of this testing programme. I give way. My

:23:03. > :23:08.honourable friend will be aware that in my constituency the council has

:23:09. > :23:12.done the testing and as a result has evacuated over 300 people from

:23:13. > :23:16.estates. Camden Council is spending its own money trying to make sure

:23:17. > :23:19.these buildings are fit for purpose before residents are placed in it

:23:20. > :23:23.again. Does he agree that the government should be giving

:23:24. > :23:29.financial support to Camden Council and other councils after cutting

:23:30. > :23:36.their budget for years on end? The short answer is yes. The longer

:23:37. > :23:39.answer is that I pay tribute to the tough decision that Camden Council

:23:40. > :23:44.had to make in those circumstances. My fear is that other housing

:23:45. > :23:49.associations and other councils, landlords of high-rise blocks around

:23:50. > :23:54.the country, will hold back or potentially cut corners because they

:23:55. > :23:59.know they cannot afford to do the works required either to remove and

:24:00. > :24:06.replace cladding or to make the inside is safe and fully fire safety

:24:07. > :24:15.compliant. And they will do so only because they cannot get a straight

:24:16. > :24:18.answer from this government, a clear commitment, to make sure this

:24:19. > :24:22.essential work is done. This leaves hundreds of thousands of residents

:24:23. > :24:29.in tower blocks around the country uncertain still whether or not their

:24:30. > :24:34.blocks are safe. I say to the ministers opposite, I hope they stay

:24:35. > :24:39.for this debate. We will hear from a number of colleagues around the

:24:40. > :24:43.country, concerns about the testing system that it leaves landlords and

:24:44. > :24:47.residents confused, it is a testing system that is not meeting the needs

:24:48. > :24:55.of those residents or of those landlords. And we know from the

:24:56. > :25:01.Lakanal House fire that cladding is not the whole problem. Only one

:25:02. > :25:07.component of one type of cladding has been tested until very recently.

:25:08. > :25:11.No tests on cladding systems, on intuition materials, the interaction

:25:12. > :25:18.between cladding and installation, or on the installation and fire

:25:19. > :25:20.breaks between force. I say to the Secretary of State, housing

:25:21. > :25:25.associations across the country cannot get their type of cladding

:25:26. > :25:31.tested so they cannot reassure the residents there tower blocks are

:25:32. > :25:35.safe. Councils like Salford have stopped stripping of cladding from

:25:36. > :25:44.high-rise flats because they have no guidance from government on what to

:25:45. > :25:53.replace it with. I thank him for giving way. I want to make a comment

:25:54. > :25:58.on that point in relation to a council I would like to commend for

:25:59. > :26:05.the speed at which they were able to remove cladding. Also, my concerned

:26:06. > :26:08.that with the amount of real cladding that might take place

:26:09. > :26:12.across the country that we don't see those who might be producing the

:26:13. > :26:19.cladding jacking up pricing and making it even more expensive to

:26:20. > :26:24.replace. She is right. Oxford council is in the dark. It simply

:26:25. > :26:28.does not know what the guidance and advice from government will be. If

:26:29. > :26:37.you take the cladding off, what do they replace it with that they can

:26:38. > :26:40.be certain as safe? The first secretary made great play of

:26:41. > :26:45.independent experts quite rightly in his speech. The panel is there to

:26:46. > :26:50.advise them on urgent lessons and action necessary. This is very

:26:51. > :26:55.welcome. I hope this panel can help the government get back on track. I

:26:56. > :27:00.hope it can deal with some of the following concerns which ministers

:27:01. > :27:04.will hear from colleagues from other parts of the country. What advice

:27:05. > :27:10.will the government gives to landlords and what reassurance to

:27:11. > :27:14.residents, if cladding systems past the second round of tests when they

:27:15. > :27:22.may have failed the narrow first test? If cladding feels, must it be

:27:23. > :27:27.taken of tower blocks in all circumstances? And will the

:27:28. > :27:30.government cover cost of taking it down and replacing it? When will

:27:31. > :27:35.councils and housing associations be able to get other cladding or

:27:36. > :27:39.intuition tested? How will the government make sure all internal

:27:40. > :27:45.fire safety works are now being done inside tower blocks meet the highest

:27:46. > :27:48.safety standards? And will the government wanted an immediate

:27:49. > :27:54.review into the approved inspectors responsible for building control

:27:55. > :27:58.checks, who hires them, who pays them, who approves the

:27:59. > :28:02.qualifications, starting with all those responsible for signing off

:28:03. > :28:08.the systems being failed by the government's tests? For weeks on,

:28:09. > :28:14.ministers what must widen their testing programme, reassure all

:28:15. > :28:18.high-rise tenants that their buildings are safe or commit to fund

:28:19. > :28:27.the urgent work necessary to make them safe. The clearest warnings

:28:28. > :28:33.that there were failures came more than format used ago following the

:28:34. > :28:42.inquest into fatal tower block fires at Lakanal House and in another

:28:43. > :28:45.circumstance. There were formal letters to ministers with

:28:46. > :28:57.recommendations to improve fire safety in high-rise buildings.

:28:58. > :29:05.Some of the recommendations were simply rejected, like making

:29:06. > :29:10.internal cable supports fire resistant or on-site information

:29:11. > :29:14.about a tower block available for firefighters arriving to fight a

:29:15. > :29:22.police. Ministers said they would act on others but simply have not.

:29:23. > :29:26.What with retrofitting sprinkler systems, the government passed

:29:27. > :29:31.responsibility on to landlords. One minister even said in 2014, we

:29:32. > :29:36.believe it is the responsibility of the fire industry rather than

:29:37. > :29:42.government. And with overhauling building regulations, the government

:29:43. > :29:46.promised a review, but this did not happen. And now the Housing Minister

:29:47. > :29:49.has just told me, this work will now need to be informed by any

:29:50. > :29:57.recommendations the independent enquiry into Grenfell Tower fire

:29:58. > :30:05.makes. Can I finish this point? Rather than waiting months or years

:30:06. > :30:10.longer to start this work, ministers must act now, start installing

:30:11. > :30:15.sprinkler systems in the highest risk high-rise blocks and start the

:30:16. > :30:20.overhaul of building regulations which can incorporate any findings

:30:21. > :30:25.from the fire investigations or from the public enquiry. I give way.

:30:26. > :30:29.Thank you. Does my right honourable friend, has he picked up the same

:30:30. > :30:33.rumour that I've picked up on the review of the building regulations

:30:34. > :30:37.that went on in CLT and I've heard it was Paul is because there were

:30:38. > :30:56.not the civil servants able to lead on that work

:30:57. > :31:01.because they were taken off that work because of Brexit and work that

:31:02. > :31:03.needed to be done to look at Brexit? If that is true, how many other

:31:04. > :31:04.pieces of work that are essential and urgent and safety-related are on

:31:05. > :31:16.pause in government right now? There is an even greater question

:31:17. > :31:23.over a leadership which I will come onto any minute. Finally, I want to

:31:24. > :31:28.return it to the fundamental issues as the PM described them, that were

:31:29. > :31:33.raised by the Grenfell Tower fire. When a country is decent and as

:31:34. > :31:39.well-off as ours fails to provide something as basic as a safe home

:31:40. > :31:51.for all its citizens, then things must change. Too serious to start

:31:52. > :31:58.with, first on regulation. -- two areas. Surely all sides of the House

:31:59. > :32:03.will agree on this, all markets, all consumers, all organisations require

:32:04. > :32:10.regulation. The require regulation to get quality, safety, ensuring

:32:11. > :32:14.safe practice, yet this is not the mindset of the current Government.

:32:15. > :32:18.Never again can we have a Government minister challenged on fire safety

:32:19. > :32:24.measures as one was after the Camberwell fire permit seeing it is

:32:25. > :32:28.not the Government's responsibility and justifying this with the

:32:29. > :32:33.Government's approach to regulations won in to add role. If the PM and

:32:34. > :32:37.her secretary are at serious about change, they should start by

:32:38. > :32:45.confirming that this approach has ended with the Cameron George

:32:46. > :32:50.Osborne era Conservative Government. You are making a very important

:32:51. > :32:53.point. When I was a junior business man, I was asked by people from

:32:54. > :32:57.number ten in the Cabinet office whether we should get rid of the

:32:58. > :33:03.fire safety regulations with respect to girls and ladies nightdresses,

:33:04. > :33:07.related to furniture, I said no, we didn't get rid of them, nor should

:33:08. > :33:13.we. He is right. We have to change the culture. I am grateful for that

:33:14. > :33:19.unexpected support from the Liberal Democrat benches. He makes a very

:33:20. > :33:28.important, specific point that supports the general argument I am

:33:29. > :33:33.making this afternoon. On social housing, for decades after the

:33:34. > :33:37.Second World War, there was a national cross-party consensus about

:33:38. > :33:40.the value of social housing to help meet the housing needs and

:33:41. > :33:45.families. There was a recognition families. There was a recognition

:33:46. > :33:50.that in this country since World War II there has only been one year in

:33:51. > :33:52.which we have built more than 200,000 homes without the public

:33:53. > :33:57.sector during at least a third of them. Yet this is also the first

:33:58. > :34:05.Government since World War II that is providing no funding to help

:34:06. > :34:08.build new social rented housing and this Government has also ended all

:34:09. > :34:12.funding through the home thinking unity agency programme for decent

:34:13. > :34:17.homes, which is the investment to bring a social housing up to

:34:18. > :34:22.scratch. If the first secretary and the Prime Minister were serious

:34:23. > :34:27.about social housing, they would live cap on councils borrowing to

:34:28. > :34:30.build and maintain their homes, restore essential Government

:34:31. > :34:33.investment to help build a new social housing, guarantee first dibs

:34:34. > :34:37.on new homes for local people and strengthen the hand of councils to

:34:38. > :34:44.get better deals from big developers for their residents. Finally, Madam

:34:45. > :34:51.Deputy Speaker, the Prime Minister wants us to contribute rather than

:34:52. > :34:58.just criticise. You have to ask, has she asked her cabinet to contribute?

:34:59. > :35:03.What does the Secretary of State have to contribute to solving the

:35:04. > :35:07.country's housing crisis, to doing more on the social housing? To

:35:08. > :35:11.reversing the plunging rate of home ownership in this country,

:35:12. > :35:12.especially for young people? To giving 11 million private

:35:13. > :35:18.basic consumer rights? Or preventing basic consumer rights? Or preventing

:35:19. > :35:21.the rapidly rising level of rough sleeping homelessness on our

:35:22. > :35:28.streets? Where is the plan? Where is the hope, the leadership? If the

:35:29. > :35:32.Prime Minister wants a domestic policy programme, if she wants to

:35:33. > :35:37.find common cause and make fundamental changes to Government

:35:38. > :35:40.policy, then we stand ready to contribute and we offer our Labour

:35:41. > :35:47.housing manifesto, published last month, as a starter. If the

:35:48. > :35:52.Government wants our support, for a plan to tackle the country's housing

:35:53. > :35:58.crisis, it must raise its sites. If ministers want every support, for

:35:59. > :36:09.their recovery programme host Grenfell, they must raise their

:36:10. > :36:14.game. Madam Deputy Speaker, can I start by saying that I do agree with

:36:15. > :36:19.the honourable gentleman Phil Wentworth on one aspect, which is

:36:20. > :36:21.that I think he is right to say this was an accident which should not

:36:22. > :36:29.have happened in a country like ours. I do think he is also right to

:36:30. > :36:32.argue for a national and clear approach that doesn't just

:36:33. > :36:41.concentrate on one issue but look at all the issues involved. I thought

:36:42. > :36:45.he uncharacteristically was not prepared to accept, or at least it

:36:46. > :36:49.seems so, that over the years on both sides of the Has winning

:36:50. > :36:56.Government, we have made mistakes in this area and I think if you thought

:36:57. > :37:01.back to 2005 and 2006 when the enforcement regime was weakened and

:37:02. > :37:05.the building regulations changed, I think he might just think, was that

:37:06. > :37:10.really tackling the problem on the issue of building houses over the

:37:11. > :37:16.previous Labour Government having a deplorable record. I don't think

:37:17. > :37:21.that he can just be holier than thou in his debate in the way that I

:37:22. > :37:25.thought he was tempted to do. I would like to start by just paying

:37:26. > :37:31.tribute to the local community, for all it has done at the Westway

:37:32. > :37:37.Sports Centre. People were generous, warm-hearted, they put their arms

:37:38. > :37:40.around the victim's families. Our thoughts, correctly, I with the

:37:41. > :37:45.victims and families. I would like to pay tribute to the communities of

:37:46. > :37:50.the Westway and Latimer Road who have come out of this very strongly

:37:51. > :37:57.indeed. It is time that fires which claim lives in high-rise buildings

:37:58. > :38:03.was a thing of the past. Just an experience from my own constituency,

:38:04. > :38:08.in February 2005 there was a fire in Stevenage in Harrow court, at

:38:09. > :38:11.high-rise flat blocks, 17 stories, two firemen lost their lives,

:38:12. > :38:15.including my constituent Geoff including my constituent Geoff

:38:16. > :38:19.Warren. And also a member of the public as well. Jeff came from a

:38:20. > :38:24.family which is very much committed to public service. He was extremely

:38:25. > :38:28.brave in the fire and saved lives. His loss was felt in my constituency

:38:29. > :38:31.and by his family, friends and the and by his family, friends and the

:38:32. > :38:39.Fire Service in Hertfordshire and Warren Whiteley. This incident led

:38:40. > :38:42.to a fire investigation by Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue

:38:43. > :38:47.Service, a very good one. It has had a lot of experience in dealing with

:38:48. > :38:53.hazardous materials, it fought the Bruntsfield fire as well as been

:38:54. > :38:56.done. It is generally a highly respected Fire and Rescue Service.

:38:57. > :39:01.They made recommendations, one of them was that the UK Fire Service

:39:02. > :39:07.should explore options for high-rise buildings to have provision of

:39:08. > :39:13.sprinklers. I felt at the time that this was an important matter. We had

:39:14. > :39:18.a Westminster Hall debate about Hertfordshire firefighter's safety.

:39:19. > :39:23.The then Fire Mr Siddique Khan met Jeff's father and fire safety

:39:24. > :39:28.experts to discuss the case for sprinklers to be retrofitted to all

:39:29. > :39:34.high-rise blocks and experts in sprinklers went to be meeting to.

:39:35. > :39:38.This hasn't happened, but Robert Warren, he still feels this is an

:39:39. > :39:43.important way of helping to ensure that there is fire safety in such

:39:44. > :39:48.blocks. He contacted me recently to say he hoped this could be back on

:39:49. > :39:57.the agenda. After 2007, the rules were changed for new buildings, over

:39:58. > :40:01.30 metres high. Which I required now to be fitted with sprinkler systems.

:40:02. > :40:06.Some local authorities have gone ahead and retrofitted to some of

:40:07. > :40:13.their blocks. As was mentioned by the honourable gentleman for

:40:14. > :40:16.Wentworth. Coroners, on two occasions, have recommended

:40:17. > :40:20.retrofitting sprinklers. It has not been the general rule. We do need a

:40:21. > :40:23.something that is clear. The British something that is clear. The

:40:24. > :40:29.automatic fire sprinkler Association automatic fire sprinkler Association

:40:30. > :40:34.estimates that the cost of fitting a system in Grenfell Tower would have

:40:35. > :40:38.been around ?200,000. We need to establish the truth of what happened

:40:39. > :40:43.in Grenfell Tower and make sure it doesn't happen again. I do hope this

:40:44. > :40:47.issue of the retrofitting of sprinkler systems can be firmly and

:40:48. > :40:54.urgently considered, because I do think that it is something which

:40:55. > :40:57.might be long overdue. In terms of the investigations which have been

:40:58. > :40:59.ordered, there is a police ordered, there is a

:41:00. > :41:03.investigation which will look at investigation which will look at

:41:04. > :41:07.criminal wrongdoing, but I think it is good there is a judicial public

:41:08. > :41:11.enquiry announced by the Prime Minister and the two types of

:41:12. > :41:14.investigation have different purposes. The public enquiry

:41:15. > :41:17.investigates an issue about serious investigates an issue about serious

:41:18. > :41:24.public concern, scrutinising decisions and events. The enquiries

:41:25. > :41:29.act of 2005 ensures that witnesses can be compelled and documents

:41:30. > :41:34.brought forward without any difficulties, something which didn't

:41:35. > :41:38.happen in other forms of enquiry. They are different to criminal

:41:39. > :41:41.investigations. The parallel criminal investigation into the fire

:41:42. > :41:47.by the Metropolitan Police will be informed by the public enquiry. If,

:41:48. > :41:52.for example, fax and recommendations are made in the public enquiry, if

:41:53. > :41:55.during the course of the investigation of the enquiry comes

:41:56. > :42:01.across criminal activity, it will obviously pass that, that is its

:42:02. > :42:05.duty, to the police. There has been some discussion nationally about the

:42:06. > :42:11.choice of the chair. I would just say this, people come to our country

:42:12. > :42:16.to have their legal issues resolved, from all over the world. They come

:42:17. > :42:19.here because we have independent minded judges who don't mind telling

:42:20. > :42:26.the Government where it gets off and when it's wrong. We have judges of

:42:27. > :42:30.the highest quality. There is a transparent system which people

:42:31. > :42:34.trust. That is why the English legal system has been copied all over the

:42:35. > :42:39.world and why people respected so highly. Our common law system is

:42:40. > :42:47.excellent. The choice of the chair for this public enquiry was a senior

:42:48. > :42:51.judge. I think if you look at something like Hillsborough, were a

:42:52. > :42:55.senior judge presided, nobody would argue that these judges are not

:42:56. > :43:01.capable of dealing with a complex case and getting right to the heart

:43:02. > :43:04.of the issues. The Lord Chancellor asked the Lord Chief Justice or a

:43:05. > :43:10.recommendation of a judge he would be best suited to the task of

:43:11. > :43:14.leading a public enquiry of this sort, and he recommended Sir Martin

:43:15. > :43:18.Moore-Bick. Sir Martin is one of the most respected judges, with

:43:19. > :43:22.extensive experience of trying complex cases, including the

:43:23. > :43:26.investigation of disasters. He was vice president of the civil division

:43:27. > :43:31.of the Court of Appeal, one other very most senior judges, until he

:43:32. > :43:35.retired in December. He will get to the heart of the issue. Members in

:43:36. > :43:38.all parts of the Houses are determined there will be justice for

:43:39. > :43:44.the victims of this tragedy and for their families. I believe the

:43:45. > :43:48.combination of a judge let enquiry and a police investigation will

:43:49. > :43:53.achieve this. I think you can judge how well a judge is going to judge

:43:54. > :43:58.an enquiry about how speedily he gets on with the matter in hand. In

:43:59. > :44:04.this case, Sir Martin has shown by immediately consulting, he opens the

:44:05. > :44:09.consultation on the 5th of July, to establish the terms of reference,

:44:10. > :44:14.but seeking a wide range of views. That bodes very well for the

:44:15. > :44:21.enquiry. He wants to hear from those directly affected by the fire. He is

:44:22. > :44:29.having a series of meetings to listen to the families. It is

:44:30. > :44:33.welcome at the chair has been so open to ideas. He said he wants to

:44:34. > :44:38.establish the terms of reference as soon as possible, so the enquiry can

:44:39. > :44:43.begin the process of making sure we know what happened and how to stop

:44:44. > :44:49.it happening again. I am a strong supporter of the judge let enquiry.

:44:50. > :44:53.I hope it will be possible to have a relatively early interim report

:44:54. > :44:59.which will deal with some of these key issues, like sprinkler systems

:45:00. > :45:01.and cladding, so we have that sort of national clear approach which the

:45:02. > :45:07.honourable gentleman opposite mentioned. I am a strong supporter

:45:08. > :45:09.of the enquiry, but I would like to see sprinklers strongly on

:45:10. > :45:17.agenda. Thank you. The Scottish agenda. Thank you. The Scottish

:45:18. > :45:20.National Party welcomes the Government announcement of a full

:45:21. > :45:25.public enquiry into this terrible tragedy. We are very clear as others

:45:26. > :45:28.have already said no still needs to be left unturned in order to

:45:29. > :45:33.ascertain not just the immediate cause of the fire but the wider

:45:34. > :45:36.causes of what happened and what went wrong and to ensure appropriate

:45:37. > :45:40.lessons are learned and to get justice for those affected. Our

:45:41. > :45:45.thoughts and sympathies are very much with those who were affected by

:45:46. > :45:50.this terrible tragedy, it goes without saying we pay tribute to the

:45:51. > :45:51.bravery and professionalism of the first responders and the emergency

:45:52. > :46:08.services. I want to address the scope and the

:46:09. > :46:15.nature of the enquiry. I'm glad to see that the days of enquiries were

:46:16. > :46:25.establishment whitewashes are over. I don't think our society could put

:46:26. > :46:29.up with such delays again. We must always be mindful that the history

:46:30. > :46:34.of enquiries in this country has seen many examples of justice being

:46:35. > :46:39.delayed or denied altogether. It seems to me this most often happens

:46:40. > :46:53.when those affected by death in disaster come from amongst the ranks

:46:54. > :47:01.of those with the least in society. I am thinking of innocent Liverpool

:47:02. > :47:06.football fans unlawfully killed and then wrongfully blamed as the cause

:47:07. > :47:14.of their own deaths. Bloody Sunday was also different from the Grenfell

:47:15. > :47:21.Tower enquiry. A Scottish journalist recently brought some words to my

:47:22. > :47:25.attention. A man told the BBC, we are not per people, when

:47:26. > :47:31.working-class people, where leaseholders, homeowners, we pay

:47:32. > :47:36.tax, we pay council tax, we make the economy turned whilst the rich put

:47:37. > :47:42.us in hazardous positions. He said, we have been neglected from the get

:47:43. > :47:47.go and we are neglected still. These words may be uncomfortable for some

:47:48. > :47:53.to hear, but they cannot and should not be ignored. They come from a

:47:54. > :47:57.survivor. Underlying this tragedy, I believe there is a stark contrast in

:47:58. > :48:02.our society between those who have wealth, power and influence, and

:48:03. > :48:06.those who do not. It seems to me at least unthinkable that those with

:48:07. > :48:09.power, wealth and influence would have been condemned to live in

:48:10. > :48:18.accommodation which seems to have been such a death trap. So, I say

:48:19. > :48:21.that this tragedy raises very real questions about the inequalities in

:48:22. > :48:28.our society and the inadequate provision of social housing in

:48:29. > :48:32.cities such as London. And there is a very real issue as to whether the

:48:33. > :48:38.enquiry is going to be of adequate school not just to address immediate

:48:39. > :48:41.causes of fire and its immediate spread, but systemic issues

:48:42. > :48:46.underlying the tragedy. So the terms of reference are vital and it is

:48:47. > :48:52.vital the participants have confidence in the chair and it is

:48:53. > :48:58.vital that all participants have adequate funding to ensure

:48:59. > :49:07.representation. Looking at the terms of reference, the Stephen Lawrence

:49:08. > :49:13.enquiry is often considered as an exemplar of what an enquiry should

:49:14. > :49:18.do. They are, the terms of reference were simply matters arising from the

:49:19. > :49:22.death of Stephen Lawrence. In this case, survivors are concerned about

:49:23. > :49:30.comments from a judge which suggested the enquiry will be

:49:31. > :49:38.restricted to looking at issues regarding how the fire started,

:49:39. > :49:43.rather than general issues. We were told last week that the government

:49:44. > :49:51.expect the enquiry to be as broad an enquiry as possible. What is not

:49:52. > :49:56.clear to me is whether this House will be able to scrutinise or have

:49:57. > :50:01.any input into the final framing of those terms of reference and in my

:50:02. > :50:06.view away should be found to enable this to happen. Because the Grenfell

:50:07. > :50:12.fire raises issues which concern all of the public across the UK and our

:50:13. > :50:17.constituents. I have a constituent who has written to me concerned

:50:18. > :50:23.about the extent of the death toll. The composition seems to include

:50:24. > :50:30.those who are sometimes forgotten in our society. Members of the public

:50:31. > :50:34.are concerned that the fact seems to be a refurbishment budget for this

:50:35. > :50:38.block was spent with an emphasis on cladding that was pleasing to the

:50:39. > :50:43.eye rather than fire safe and a suggestion that not enough was spent

:50:44. > :50:46.on fire safety measures. And the public are concerned about the

:50:47. > :50:54.adequacy of the response to the fire. People have said, where was

:50:55. > :50:59.the publicly funded infrastructure dealing with relief? Where was the

:51:00. > :51:04.plan for the aftermath of this? So we need to make sure the terms of

:51:05. > :51:07.reference of the enquiry encompass these matters, whilst also making

:51:08. > :51:17.sure the interim report deals with the immediate fire safety issues. We

:51:18. > :51:21.should never forget that the decades of failure to investigate properly

:51:22. > :51:26.what happened at Hillsborough began with the controversial decision by

:51:27. > :51:29.the coroner in the inquest to close off certain questions from proper

:51:30. > :51:34.investigation. So I believe we must be very careful here not to close

:51:35. > :51:42.off certain questions arising from how this fire came about from a

:51:43. > :51:49.proper investigation. Turning to the chair, the problems with the child

:51:50. > :51:57.abuse enquiry shall as it is vital to have a chair that has the

:51:58. > :52:00.confidence of those affected. Concerns of residents must be

:52:01. > :52:05.respected and listen to. If there is doubt surrounding public confidence,

:52:06. > :52:12.that cannot be ignored because it will undermine the efficacy of the

:52:13. > :52:17.enquiry. As the honourable member for... I shall give way. This is a

:52:18. > :52:29.judge who has dealt with the most complex matters, disasters. For

:52:30. > :52:32.somebody of that sort of ability, how can she say that is not the

:52:33. > :52:45.right sort of person to run a judicial enquiry. It is not a

:52:46. > :52:54.decision for me, I am bringing to the attention of the House the

:52:55. > :52:58.concerns of members of the public. What is required here is a properly

:52:59. > :53:02.diverse expert panel to sit along the enquiry judge to advise him on a

:53:03. > :53:23.variety of issues. I respectfully suggest doubts about

:53:24. > :53:30.the ability of the judge may be allayed. Whether the benches

:53:31. > :53:33.opposite like it or not, it is absolutely vital that the people

:53:34. > :53:41.affected by this disaster have confidence in the ability of the

:53:42. > :53:53.enquiry to bring about a just result. I will continue to develop

:53:54. > :54:01.my point. All I and others are asking is that the Minister gives

:54:02. > :54:04.serious consideration to the demand that in addition to the judge they

:54:05. > :54:13.should be an expert panel which is properly diverse and is of the

:54:14. > :54:15.proper expertise to advise on issues regarding housing need and fire and

:54:16. > :54:35.safety construction. Will she give way? In our country,

:54:36. > :54:41.people take cases against the government to the courts the whole

:54:42. > :54:48.time. The judges are very keen to do cases properly. The kickback the

:54:49. > :54:53.government on numerous times. Is she really saying that this is one of

:54:54. > :54:59.the most senior judges in our country who is not going to be able

:55:00. > :55:05.to do an independent job of the highest quality? That is not what I

:55:06. > :55:09.have said. This is not a litigation, this is a public enquiry. All I am

:55:10. > :55:14.saying is the government have accepted the requires to be a panel

:55:15. > :55:23.of advisers. I am making a simple point. The panel of advisers should

:55:24. > :55:25.be of suitable expertise and diversity to inspire confidence.

:55:26. > :55:28.Another thing required to ensure justice is done is to make sure that

:55:29. > :55:34.not only victims but also tenants groups are given public funding for

:55:35. > :55:42.independent and separate legal representation, sufficient to enable

:55:43. > :55:45.them to have a voice equal to local government and private management

:55:46. > :55:48.companies. This is a simple matter of human rights and equality of

:55:49. > :55:54.arms. When I asked the Prime Minister about this on 22 June, she

:55:55. > :55:58.said that although the way the enquiry is conducted as a matter for

:55:59. > :56:01.the chair, she said that legal representation will be funded by the

:56:02. > :56:07.government and she was not going to set any limits regarding bodies or

:56:08. > :56:11.individuals for whom funding would be available. Therefore, I welcome

:56:12. > :56:15.what she said. Although the question of funding and proper representation

:56:16. > :56:19.is a matter of the enquiry, it can only work well within the

:56:20. > :56:25.constraints imposed on it by the Treasury. And if the tenants groups

:56:26. > :56:33.are not represented in this enquiry, then I fear justice will not be seen

:56:34. > :56:37.to be done. Finally, before I see something about devolved

:56:38. > :56:40.administrations, I want to turn to the question of recommendations of

:56:41. > :56:47.the enquiry being properly implemented. I would suggest it is

:56:48. > :56:53.vital that this House is encouraged to make sure that the

:56:54. > :56:57.recommendations are implemented promptly because important

:56:58. > :57:00.recommendations are not always implemented promptly. We have

:57:01. > :57:07.already heard about the recommendations after the Lakanal

:57:08. > :57:11.House fire. After a tower block fire in Irvine in 1999, select committee

:57:12. > :57:17.of this House recommended that all cladding on high-rise dwellings

:57:18. > :57:21.should be noncombustible. Subsequent to devolution, that report was taken

:57:22. > :57:26.seriously by Scottish housing authorities and building regulations

:57:27. > :57:30.in Scotland were duly amended in 2005. All new domestic high-rise

:57:31. > :57:35.buildings are fitted with noncombustible cladding or a

:57:36. > :57:42.cladding system that meets stringent fire tests. Since 2005, they are

:57:43. > :57:46.fitted with sprinklers. The same recommendation be seen as optional

:57:47. > :57:52.south of the border and it appears now that has had tragic

:57:53. > :57:58.consequences. It is vital that this House finds a way to make sure that

:57:59. > :58:07.the enquiries recommendations are properly implemented. Briefly,... I

:58:08. > :58:12.join the tributes which have been paid to the victims and first

:58:13. > :58:17.responders. There are many people in Scotland who still live in tower

:58:18. > :58:20.blocks. As well as the reassurances she has provided, they nevertheless

:58:21. > :58:24.will be looking to the recommendations that come from this

:58:25. > :58:31.report. Does she agree there will be lessons to be learned across the UK?

:58:32. > :58:35.It is important assurances are provided to people who continue to

:58:36. > :58:44.live in tower blocks? I entirely agree with my honourable friend. I

:58:45. > :58:48.was pleased that the city of Edinburgh Council had all elected

:58:49. > :58:51.representatives in to tell us what steps they were taking to ensure

:58:52. > :58:57.high-rise blocks were safe. Scottish building standards are devolved, as

:58:58. > :59:01.I have indicated. The Scottish Government has already set up a

:59:02. > :59:07.ministerial building group to ensure our buildings are up to scratch and

:59:08. > :59:11.to make sure the Fire and Rescue Service are satisfied with the

:59:12. > :59:14.standards in local buildings. I'm pleased to say that all 32 local

:59:15. > :59:19.authorities in Scotland have been able to confirm that none of the

:59:20. > :59:24.high-rise domestic properties that they own have used the type of

:59:25. > :59:26.cladding will understanding was used on Grenfell Tower. The Scottish

:59:27. > :59:30.Government has not been complacent about this and the Scottish Fire and

:59:31. > :59:34.Rescue Service will continue to carry out additional operational

:59:35. > :59:39.assurance visits to high-rise buildings. The Scottish Government

:59:40. > :59:41.will continue to monitor the situation in Scotland, gathering

:59:42. > :59:45.information from Scottish local authorities and kicking a safety

:59:46. > :59:55.first approach to this issue, whilst we await information into this fire

:59:56. > :59:59.in London. It is vital that the way in which this enquiry is setup, the

:00:00. > :00:06.framing of the terms of reference, the way in which the expert panel

:00:07. > :00:10.will advise the chair, is chosen, is made up and funding is made

:00:11. > :00:15.available to all relevant participants. Those things are vital

:00:16. > :00:19.for justice to be seen to be done and we cannot cut corners on any of

:00:20. > :00:24.them. There is widespread concern across the United Kingdom about the

:00:25. > :00:28.whole circumstances surrounding this fire. The public and all of our

:00:29. > :00:33.constituents, most particularly the people local to this fire, need to

:00:34. > :00:42.be satisfied that justice is both done and also seem to be done. The

:00:43. > :00:48.House struggles on occasions like this to get the tone of the debate

:00:49. > :00:58.right. When members of this place a walk on 14 June, we would all have

:00:59. > :01:03.been horrified by what we witnessed. And how on earth those residents are

:01:04. > :01:08.coping with the tragedy I just don't know. I pay an immediate tribute to

:01:09. > :01:13.the local member of Parliament who has not been here for very long, but

:01:14. > :01:18.in no time at all has done her very best to local residents.

:01:19. > :01:19.Congratulations to her and I think the House will come together at

:01:20. > :01:29.least on that point. There are no words adequate to

:01:30. > :01:33.describe our feelings on this horror. It started on the fourth

:01:34. > :01:42.residents were asleep. Within half residents were asleep. Within half

:01:43. > :01:49.an hour, it was a towering Inferno. And to turn on the TV screens in the

:01:50. > :01:56.morning and see what happens, it was truly shocking. This was just a

:01:57. > :01:58.month ago. This House has a huge responsibility in this debate, how

:01:59. > :02:08.we deal with this matter. I think the tone must be more direct. --

:02:09. > :02:13.must be moderate. Recently there was an article written by Nick Ross, I

:02:14. > :02:18.do not know him personally, but he appears on TV as a commentator. He

:02:19. > :02:25.said no one has the right to monopoly on anger or grief. For 15

:02:26. > :02:30.years, I have been campaigning to update building regulations in

:02:31. > :02:36.England to improve fire safety and to have sprinklers fitted routinely

:02:37. > :02:39.to cancel and other social housing. -- to councils. I cannot recall a

:02:40. > :02:45.single Government minister or opposition frontbencher who ever

:02:46. > :02:51.campaigned with us. Three times I have addressed the local Government

:02:52. > :02:59.Association, pointing out how the risks are disproportionate in a

:03:00. > :03:03.subsidised housing, it is the... They did absolutely nothing. I come

:03:04. > :03:07.to my honourable friend the Minister, ministers are mostly here

:03:08. > :03:12.today and gone tomorrow, but I hope my honourable friend will be around

:03:13. > :03:16.for a little time. Few would be claimed to be expert in the breeze.

:03:17. > :03:23.Except for those who know what all, because the art writ by ideology.

:03:24. > :03:30.Most ministers do listen to their advisers. If there is any group

:03:31. > :03:38.whose actions allied the catastrophe to happen it was these advisers.

:03:39. > :03:43.Ministers took the advice. Finally, Mr Ross said in his article,

:03:44. > :03:47.sprinklers are not invincible, they cannot function if the water supply

:03:48. > :03:53.fails. But and this is the truth that makes me so angry, no one ever

:03:54. > :03:58.dies from fire when a home is protected by automatic sprinklers.

:03:59. > :04:02.That is why in the United States they are spending or installing 40

:04:03. > :04:08.million a year. Let's not be persuaded that the risk is only in

:04:09. > :04:11.high-rise towers, there are three to 400 fire deaths a year and most

:04:12. > :04:18.victims live in a low-rise properties. We need sprinklers in

:04:19. > :04:23.all social housing, care homes and multi-occupation premises including

:04:24. > :04:28.schools. Let's not forget our hospitals. There is a terrible

:04:29. > :04:32.languor after Grenfell, instead of trading political insults we must

:04:33. > :04:37.put it to good use. Madam Deputy Speaker, we politicians are often

:04:38. > :04:44.criticised. We take the blame for most things that happen. We have

:04:45. > :04:48.been criticised for not acting, as far as this particular issue is

:04:49. > :04:54.concerned. That cannot be said of the All Party Parliamentary Fire

:04:55. > :04:59.Safety Rescue Group. I am delighted that there are a number of

:05:00. > :05:04.members present in the House who are very active members of the group,

:05:05. > :05:11.unfortunately we lost 12 members in the last election. It has been going

:05:12. > :05:16.for a very long time. I don't know whether colleagues are aware, but we

:05:17. > :05:21.find out this morning that one newly elected Scottish Conservative member

:05:22. > :05:25.was a former firefighter and no doubt he will bring his own

:05:26. > :05:31.expertise. Most of us aren't experts, we have depended since 1986

:05:32. > :05:37.on two marvellous secretaries, first of Douglas Smith and then in 2013

:05:38. > :05:43.Ronnie King took over. Time after time, as the honourable member whose

:05:44. > :05:51.advice chairman of the group said earlier, we ask ministers to look at

:05:52. > :05:54.the Lacko Nel recommendation about the retrofitting of sprinklers and

:05:55. > :06:01.we ask for the building regulations to be reviewed after 11 years. My

:06:02. > :06:06.honourable friend, the minister, who I think will be replying to the

:06:07. > :06:14.debate, has already met members of the group. And this morning, it was

:06:15. > :06:18.agreed, I put a number of points to my honourable friend the Minister,

:06:19. > :06:24.which I hope he will consider. Without prejudice to the public

:06:25. > :06:28.investigation, the all-party group investigation, the all-party group

:06:29. > :06:31.wants to respond to the Secretary of State's invitation to submit

:06:32. > :06:36.measures which can be put in place immediately to keep people safe. I

:06:37. > :06:38.entirely accept the frustration of opposition members that something

:06:39. > :06:43.needs to be done now and we don't needs to be done now and we don't

:06:44. > :06:46.need to wait till the outcome of the public enquiry for that to happen. I

:06:47. > :06:51.hope my honourable friend the Minister will reflect on that. One

:06:52. > :06:57.such measure is to commence the long promised review of approved document

:06:58. > :07:01.be to the building regulations forthwith and in particular to seek

:07:02. > :07:05.an immediate reinstatement of the provisions as section 20 of the

:07:06. > :07:16.London building acts in so far as they are required, it is crazy that

:07:17. > :07:22.we no longer had those regulations. The Minister will face the test, he

:07:23. > :07:25.will be given advice. Unless it is in the affirmative, I hope the

:07:26. > :07:28.Minister will make his own decision and will agree with the all-party

:07:29. > :07:36.Parliamentary group's recommendation. Thank you. My

:07:37. > :07:40.honourable friend obviously understands these things better than

:07:41. > :07:46.me. One thing that has really worried me about this tragedy, and I

:07:47. > :07:52.question it, is if there were sprinklers inside the building and

:07:53. > :07:58.the building went on fire outside it, would people have survived,

:07:59. > :08:03.despite the fact that the building outside was a flame? That worries

:08:04. > :08:08.me. I don't know whether there is an answer. It seems to me, they might

:08:09. > :08:12.have done. He makes an interesting point. People do not lose their

:08:13. > :08:21.lives when sprinklers are affected. The second thing,... Does my

:08:22. > :08:25.honourable friend think, it speaks volumes that in 2007 we said every

:08:26. > :08:34.building should have a sprinkler system. I will come to your point, I

:08:35. > :08:38.also want the Minister tree here, it is not his department, it is crazy

:08:39. > :08:43.that it isn't mandatory for all new school buildings to have sprinklers

:08:44. > :08:48.fitted. This is something we have got to address as a matter of

:08:49. > :08:57.urgency. Again, I hope the Minister, if he doesn't get the advice which I

:08:58. > :09:00.certainly want him to be given, I hope he will make a decision and

:09:01. > :09:13.recommended that all new school buildings have sprinklers fitted. I

:09:14. > :09:14.am grateful for his comments with regard to sprinklers systems in

:09:15. > :09:17.schools, but would he agree it is imperative that the regulations are

:09:18. > :09:22.changed to cover student accommodation? As I understand it,

:09:23. > :09:27.tower blocks above 30 metres will maybe fitted with sprinklers. But

:09:28. > :09:31.height does not qualify for height does not qualify for

:09:32. > :09:38.sprinklers. That cannot be right. I hope my friend would agree with me.

:09:39. > :09:43.I certainly do agree. The Minister has heard what has been said, as I

:09:44. > :09:47.understood every building over 30 metres must have sprinklers fitted.

:09:48. > :09:52.If the honourable member is right and he was at that meeting this

:09:53. > :09:56.morning, I hope at some stage when the Minister winds up, a note will

:09:57. > :09:59.be passed to determine whether the honourable member is right. As far

:10:00. > :10:04.as I understand, that cannot be the situation. The second point the

:10:05. > :10:08.committee agreed without prejudice to the public enquiry or the police

:10:09. > :10:14.criminal investigation, we want to support the recommendation of the

:10:15. > :10:23.coroners that Southampton are at the leg arising from the Lakanel housing

:10:24. > :10:24.block, whereby both coroners recommended in a letter to

:10:25. > :10:30.Secretary of State that the Secretary of State that the

:10:31. > :10:34.Department for Communities and Local Government encourages providers of

:10:35. > :10:37.housing in high risk residential buildings containing multiple

:10:38. > :10:42.domestic premises to consider the retrofitting of sprinklers. I hope

:10:43. > :10:49.my honourable friend will deal with that. In a letter to the then see LG

:10:50. > :10:56.Minister, which the committee wrote on the 1st of May 2014, we drew the

:10:57. > :11:02.Minister's attention to Ronnie King's personal involvement with the

:11:03. > :11:06.Lakanel house coroners inquest, whereby clarification was given from

:11:07. > :11:08.the department that the current building regulations allowed the

:11:09. > :11:15.composite panels under the external wall windows of such tower blocks

:11:16. > :11:21.not to have any fire resistance. This is absolutely crazy. This

:11:22. > :11:27.weakness in the regulations remains uncorrected today, despite the

:11:28. > :11:32.spread of fire which resulted in the deaths of six people. Under the

:11:33. > :11:42.current regulations, the external walls of tower blocks need only have

:11:43. > :11:44.a classification... The House would not expect the Minister to be an

:11:45. > :11:50.expert on all these matters. He has expert on all these matters. He has

:11:51. > :11:55.got to take advice from somewhere. I hope he understands the frustration

:11:56. > :11:58.from the all party Parliamentary fire safety committee's

:11:59. > :12:05.recommendations being ignored. This fire should never have happened. It

:12:06. > :12:09.should never have happened. If notice had been taken of the

:12:10. > :12:13.recommendations that were made. As I come to draw my remarks to a

:12:14. > :12:18.conclusion, Madam Deputy Speaker, the Home Office minister who is not

:12:19. > :12:23.in this place at the moment, said that we might be looking to system

:12:24. > :12:27.failure built up over many years, which we now how to address

:12:28. > :12:32.urgently. Over many years and perhaps against a backdrop which

:12:33. > :12:37.shows a reduced risk in terms of fire in terms of the number of

:12:38. > :12:42.incidents and deaths may be as a system some complacency has crept

:12:43. > :12:47.in. It certainly hasn't crept in as far as the all-party Parliamentary

:12:48. > :12:55.group is concerned. I don't know anything about the judge who has

:12:56. > :12:58.been appointed to lead the enquiry. I have heard of the Fire Brigade's

:12:59. > :13:05.union have talked a lot about the cuts to services and regulation of

:13:06. > :13:09.the fire safety. I hear you talking a lot about spring close. Would you

:13:10. > :13:14.agree that those cannot have failed to have an impact and we have

:13:15. > :13:16.happened on your watch? I am a bit disappointed about how many people

:13:17. > :13:24.are not on your benches for this debate. It is absolutely crucial and

:13:25. > :13:31.they should be here. Well, as far as the Fire Brigade's union is

:13:32. > :13:36.concerned, I know the general secretary and I am meeting him

:13:37. > :13:40.shortly to find out in further detail precisely what his criticisms

:13:41. > :13:44.are. I can assure the honourable member at the all-party

:13:45. > :13:49.Parliamentary fire safety group will raise any issues which the Fire

:13:50. > :13:55.Brigade's union mentions to us. As far as attendance on these benches

:13:56. > :14:04.are concerned, in time the honourable lady will have a view on

:14:05. > :14:11.attendance in this House. Going back a long time, all the benches were

:14:12. > :14:16.packed. I can only say that I regret that on this occasion, given that

:14:17. > :14:21.the general public can see this on the Parliamentary Channel, it is

:14:22. > :14:24.always disappointing when the chamber isn't packed. I am afraid

:14:25. > :14:31.over recent years that has been the trend. I am grateful to the

:14:32. > :14:35.honourable member. Have a further honourable member. Have a further

:14:36. > :14:40.house to my entry in a register of interest. On the Fire Brigade union,

:14:41. > :14:46.should they have participant status in the enquiry? The Minister will

:14:47. > :14:56.have heard what the honourable lady has said. I cannot believe there

:14:57. > :15:00.will not be very close involvement. I don't want to trip myself up if

:15:01. > :15:08.there has already been a discussion on the matter. But I certainly can't

:15:09. > :15:11.see why there can't be real participation in the enquiry,

:15:12. > :15:18.responds will take that particular responds will take that particular

:15:19. > :15:22.point up. Finally, Madam Deputy Speaker, if I say to my honourable

:15:23. > :15:27.friend the Minister that these are three points I really wish to

:15:28. > :15:32.highlight. Building regulations no longer include a requirement for one

:15:33. > :15:38.hour fire resistance for outside walls, as was required under the

:15:39. > :15:44.London building acts. That has got to be corrected. Firefighters were

:15:45. > :15:50.horrified in the way this particular disaster took place. The second

:15:51. > :15:56.point is the testing of cladding. It costs ?10,000 to five test a 30

:15:57. > :16:00.metre clouded wall. Most testing is done on the desktop, which doesn't

:16:01. > :16:04.take into account materials used underneath or between the cladding,

:16:05. > :16:11.such as wood. I hope my honourable friend will look at that point.

:16:12. > :16:15.Finally, the retrofitting of the past year in 100% of cases for

:16:16. > :16:22.sprinklers have activated the have controlled or extinguish the fire. I

:16:23. > :16:27.welcome the fact that there is to be a public enquiry and I say again to

:16:28. > :16:29.my honourable friend the Minister, do please note not only listen to

:16:30. > :16:43.the recommendations We have plenty of time for this

:16:44. > :16:49.debate. And there are a lot of people who wish to take part. I

:16:50. > :16:53.should also take the -- tell the House that I have notification of

:16:54. > :16:58.several new members who would like to make their maiden speeches. I

:16:59. > :17:03.would like to be able to manage without a formal time limit,

:17:04. > :17:11.especially for the benefit of those making maiden speeches, it is better

:17:12. > :17:16.not to have a time limit. We can manage this of people show restraint

:17:17. > :17:24.and thought for fellow members and speak for around nine minutes. That

:17:25. > :17:30.means calculate ten minutes and stop a bit early. It is amazing how

:17:31. > :17:39.difficult people find arithmetic once the run their feet. Everyone

:17:40. > :17:46.will have an opportunity to speak without a formal time limit. I know

:17:47. > :17:55.I can rely on Mr Clive Betts to do this perfectly. Thank you. This is

:17:56. > :18:03.the most appalling tragedy and I'm sure our hearts go out to everyone

:18:04. > :18:10.who lost their lives. And everyone who has been traumatised by this

:18:11. > :18:14.appalling event and are now homeless. The only good that can

:18:15. > :18:25.come out of this is if we learn lessons from this quickly and make

:18:26. > :18:34.sure it never happens again. I want to address the issue of funding. I

:18:35. > :18:44.was worried by the first Secretary's conditions he put on the funding

:18:45. > :18:48.that might be available. He said the government would fund any necessary

:18:49. > :18:55.safety work that was deemed necessary by the local authority.

:18:56. > :19:00.You then withdrew on that statement and said the government would fund

:19:01. > :19:05.it were the local authority could not afford it. That is an important

:19:06. > :19:11.condition. Will he explain precisely what that means, what the criteria

:19:12. > :19:14.are which will lead to government funding and whether local

:19:15. > :19:19.authorities will be asked to find themselves. We have to see this in

:19:20. > :19:32.the context of a local authority finances as a whole. This work to

:19:33. > :19:39.social housing will come out of the general revenue account. Funding for

:19:40. > :19:43.social housing was cut by 60% in 2010. There is not a penny of

:19:44. > :19:51.government money for either new social housing or four remedial work

:19:52. > :19:54.in social housing in the current spending round. Local authorities

:19:55. > :20:03.have been asked to find it all themselves. I thank him for giving

:20:04. > :20:10.way. On that point, is it his understanding that any works pay for

:20:11. > :20:19.at a local level will be paid for by tenants out of their rents? Does he

:20:20. > :20:24.also agree that the maintenance budgets for local authority housing

:20:25. > :20:29.have already been cut by 20% since 2010? Absolutely. That is the point

:20:30. > :20:36.I was going to come onto. The housing revenue account of courses

:20:37. > :20:42.funded for rent and in 2015 budget, the government decided rent would

:20:43. > :20:47.not rise by CBI plus 1% but would fall by 1% each year. It is

:20:48. > :20:59.estimated that will have a massive effect of many billions of pounds.

:21:00. > :21:02.Of course, they can borrow money, councils can borrow money, but that

:21:03. > :21:06.borrowing is capped by the government as well. So the

:21:07. > :21:10.government caps the rents and the government caps borrowing. To local

:21:11. > :21:16.authorities go to find the money to show they can afford to do this

:21:17. > :21:22.work? All they can do is to cut other planned expenditure on the

:21:23. > :21:25.maintenance of other social housing. Solving one problem will simply lead

:21:26. > :21:31.to other problems unless government is prepared to find the money.

:21:32. > :21:36.Simple as that. I hope the Minister will reflect seriously on this.

:21:37. > :21:40.Local authorities should not be having to show they can either not

:21:41. > :21:45.build a few social houses they were going to build and not going to cut

:21:46. > :21:50.back on maintenance programmes to prove they can afford to provide

:21:51. > :21:53.extra money to do the necessary work on tower blocks, but the government

:21:54. > :22:07.will come forward and say that all necessary work approved by them for

:22:08. > :22:12.extra work on tower blocks will be eligible for government money. That

:22:13. > :22:18.will solve an awful lot of concerns and difficulties in this debate. We

:22:19. > :22:25.simply have got to start viewing social housing differently. There is

:22:26. > :22:29.a tendency in the last few years to see social housing is proposing for

:22:30. > :22:34.poor people. And therefore anything will do for the people who live

:22:35. > :22:41.there are. And I have to say to ministers that is a bit reflected by

:22:42. > :22:45.the EPA to ski scheme which fortunately the government has now

:22:46. > :22:51.made voluntary for social housing landlords. In other words, those who

:22:52. > :22:55.can afford it should not be in social housing, I disagree, it is

:22:56. > :23:00.therefore those who need it. Secondly, the proposal to have the

:23:01. > :23:04.sale of high-value council assets. If council housing is good and

:23:05. > :23:09.decent, it shouldn't be council housing any longer. That is wrong as

:23:10. > :23:13.well. It seems to have been put on the back burner, this proposal, to

:23:14. > :23:18.find the right to buy for housing association tenants. Were going to

:23:19. > :23:22.have good quality social housing and it will remain as social housing for

:23:23. > :23:29.those who need it. That is something else the government can do. I come

:23:30. > :23:37.then to regulation. He is making a very good case. Can I add one more

:23:38. > :23:42.point, which is to say that where social housing is going to be used

:23:43. > :23:47.for tenants decanted in the case of Grenfell Tower or other examples,

:23:48. > :23:52.other types of housing is going to be used, that needs to be in place

:23:53. > :23:56.as well? Otherwise, we are again looking at a net loss of social

:23:57. > :24:05.housing. I think he makes an extremely powerful point. Government

:24:06. > :24:12.should be funding the replacement of social housing is well. In terms of

:24:13. > :24:17.regulation, we need an immediate review of fire regulations. That has

:24:18. > :24:31.been called for. I hope who has ever elected chair will take a lead with

:24:32. > :24:37.the new members elected. At times, it was like drawing teeth, getting

:24:38. > :24:41.ministers to agree to new regulations. I draw attention to the

:24:42. > :24:44.20 13th select committee hearing when the fire adviser came to us and

:24:45. > :24:51.was questioned very strongly with the Minister about the retrofitting

:24:52. > :24:57.of sprinklers. The Minister then said no and one of the reasons was

:24:58. > :25:01.that you could not have a new regulation unless two old

:25:02. > :25:06.regulations were taken off the statutes. What a nonsensical

:25:07. > :25:12.position. Regulations are either necessary or not. If regulations are

:25:13. > :25:16.necessary to keep people safe, they should be implemented without having

:25:17. > :25:21.to wait for two others to be cancelled. I am pleased my own

:25:22. > :25:26.authority in Sheffield has decided to retrofit sprinklers to all its

:25:27. > :25:29.tower blocks. Coming onto the issue of test for cladding, I know

:25:30. > :25:34.colleagues have made this point, it shouldn't just be the cladding

:25:35. > :25:37.tested in isolation, it has to be the insulation, fire stops, fire

:25:38. > :25:45.doors and everything else about the fire safety systems in a tower

:25:46. > :25:49.block. Sheffield has only found one instance where cladding has feel. If

:25:50. > :25:54.Fire Service has said that because of everything else in that block

:25:55. > :25:59.they believe the systems are safe for people to live there. I think

:26:00. > :26:06.Sheffield Council has done very well. They have had meetings with

:26:07. > :26:11.tenants. They have said if anyone wants to move temporarily, they can

:26:12. > :26:15.do, they have put a 24 hour far what in the block, but in the end the

:26:16. > :26:18.fire authority believes it is safe because of the cladding working with

:26:19. > :26:24.the installation, the fire stops and everything else. Some ministers will

:26:25. > :26:26.now look hopefully at extending the tests and encouraging local

:26:27. > :26:32.authorities to extend the tests beyond cladding to the whole issue

:26:33. > :26:35.of fire prevention in blocks. Finally, regarding Kensington and

:26:36. > :26:42.Chelsea, will the Minister explained to us why it is a task force and not

:26:43. > :26:49.commissioners? As a local list, commissioners should only be used in

:26:50. > :27:00.an extreme situation. But this is an extreme failure. After the Ariana

:27:01. > :27:10.Grande incident in Manchester, there was a first class response. What

:27:11. > :27:14.does the member think of the response after this incident? The

:27:15. > :27:24.government has admitted itself the response was not adequate. But why

:27:25. > :27:28.not commissioners? The task force will report to the Secretary of

:27:29. > :27:32.State but will not have executive powers. This is a recipe for another

:27:33. > :27:36.disaster. When you have mixed lines of accountability and no one is sure

:27:37. > :27:41.who is in power, that is exactly when things go wrong because no one

:27:42. > :27:45.is sure who is responsible, everyone is into everyone else, and when

:27:46. > :27:50.something happens everyone blames everyone else. Please learn lessons.

:27:51. > :27:55.Can we have an explanation about why commissioners have not been put in

:27:56. > :28:03.in this case? Now we have confusion rather than clarity. I would like to

:28:04. > :28:07.assure the honourable gentleman that I am following that if he wins the

:28:08. > :28:13.select committee chairmanship by one vote, that will have been mine.

:28:14. > :28:17.You're very welcome to it. On a more serious note, before I begin, I

:28:18. > :28:27.would like to declare an interest. As set out in the register of

:28:28. > :28:32.members interests, I am a director of a subsidiary of Hampshire Fire

:28:33. > :28:41.authority. It is created to help fund the gap by the shrinking grant

:28:42. > :28:53.for the Fire and Rescue Service. The directors are not remunerated. On 6

:28:54. > :29:00.April, a fire broke out in Southampton. I attended as chairman

:29:01. > :29:04.of the Hampshire Fire authority as crews battled to bring the fire

:29:05. > :29:09.under control. 100 people were arrested that night but it came at a

:29:10. > :29:14.great cost. Two firefighters who entered the tower block died after

:29:15. > :29:21.becoming tangled in falling electricity cables. They lost their

:29:22. > :29:24.lives while trying to save others. Alan Bannon and Jim Shearer is

:29:25. > :29:31.demonstrated the very best of emergency services and are very much

:29:32. > :29:39.missed by everyone who knew them. That fire happened in 2010. The

:29:40. > :29:48.inquest included in 2012. The coroner issued his letter in April

:29:49. > :29:52.2013. In the letter, the coroner recommended that social housing

:29:53. > :29:56.providers should be encouraged to consider the retrofitting of

:29:57. > :30:01.sprinklers in all existing high-rise buildings in excess of 30 metres in

:30:02. > :30:05.height. Particularly those identified by Fire And Rescue

:30:06. > :30:13.Services as having complex designs that make firefighting more

:30:14. > :30:17.hazardous and or more difficult. After the coroner made his

:30:18. > :30:23.recommendations, Southampton City Council committee to retrofit

:30:24. > :30:27.sprinklers in three high-rise tower blocks. However, as weeks and months

:30:28. > :30:32.passed, there was no move to actually carry out the work. I have

:30:33. > :30:36.to cancel over and over again and was always given assurances report

:30:37. > :30:40.was about to be written or funds were being made available but

:30:41. > :30:45.nothing actually happened. Months and years pass and then finally in

:30:46. > :30:48.February 2015 Southampton City Council approve the Cabinet report

:30:49. > :30:56.which said it will commit ?100 million of housing revenue money to

:30:57. > :31:03.retrofit three blocks. Surely towers were the fire was, and two others,

:31:04. > :31:10.one of which is in my constituency. Two and a half years after

:31:11. > :31:17.allocating the funds, those sprinklers are still not installed.

:31:18. > :31:21.Coincidentally, the Labour Cabinet member with responsibility for

:31:22. > :31:25.housing in Southampton has assured me it is a coincidence, the is

:31:26. > :31:28.Brinkley 's which were promised would be installed on some of the

:31:29. > :31:37.most vulnerable blocks over two years ago will soon be fitted. Or at

:31:38. > :31:41.least that's what I have been told. The Leader of the Opposition will be

:31:42. > :31:46.visiting Southampton on Saturday. I hope that while he is there he will

:31:47. > :31:49.ask the leader of the Labour-controlled council, who was

:31:50. > :31:54.also the Labour candidate in the last general election, why he has

:31:55. > :31:56.not acted on the corner's recommendations and carried out the

:31:57. > :32:03.retrofit of sprinklers in the city's high-rise flats. I hope that on his

:32:04. > :32:08.visit he will explain to the residents of those terrors why he

:32:09. > :32:13.and his Shadow Chancellor has sought to politicise the tragedy of

:32:14. > :32:16.silent when it comes to silent when it comes to

:32:17. > :32:19.Labour-controlled Southampton failure to act on the corner's

:32:20. > :32:27.recommendations despite promising those residents they would do so. Mr

:32:28. > :32:33.Speaker, Madam Deputy Speaker, I am confident or more likely hopeful

:32:34. > :32:42.that Southampton will, seven years after the terror fire, retrofit

:32:43. > :32:46.sprinklers to our tower blocks. The reason for repainting these events

:32:47. > :32:48.is not for political point scoring...

:32:49. > :32:53.LAUGHTER They may laugh, that is what they

:32:54. > :32:58.have done from the date this tragic event took place. I am not doing

:32:59. > :33:05.this for political point scoring in the way that Labour have sought to

:33:06. > :33:09.do so. I am doing it for a really important reason, when the inquiry

:33:10. > :33:13.into the Grenfell tragedy has concluded and we know what happened,

:33:14. > :33:21.how it happened, why it happened, the recommendations from that

:33:22. > :33:25.inquiry must be accepted. The Government must act on those

:33:26. > :33:30.recommendations. They must not allow it to drift for a year after year in

:33:31. > :33:39.the way it has been allowed to do in a Southampton. In the years since

:33:40. > :33:44.Shirley Towers, there have been dozens of fires in the Southampton's

:33:45. > :33:47.tower blocks. Is it one of those had turned out like Grenfell or Shirley

:33:48. > :33:54.Towers, there would be nowhere for the local authority to hide and they

:33:55. > :33:59.would be no excuses. He might make a more convincing case if you didn't

:34:00. > :34:03.see it all from one particular vantage point. He says action after

:34:04. > :34:08.this inquiry, do you not agree action should have been taken before

:34:09. > :34:10.and explain why Government ministers did not make recommendations in

:34:11. > :34:12.relation to retrofitting sprinklers relation to retrofitting

:34:13. > :34:18.after that, despite what the coroner after that, despite what the coroner

:34:19. > :34:22.said in his letter? As I understand it, and as I said, it was a

:34:23. > :34:25.recommendation people should encourage the use of sprinklers. The

:34:26. > :34:31.difference with Southampton and the local committee were committed to

:34:32. > :34:36.doing it and Southampton did not do it. There implies the difference. As

:34:37. > :34:40.I said, if one of those fires in those dozens of fires that have

:34:41. > :34:44.happened in tower blocks since Shirley Towers in Southampton had

:34:45. > :34:48.turned out like Grenfell or Shirley Towers there would be nowhere to

:34:49. > :34:52.hide. If the Government fails to act on the findings of the Grenfell

:34:53. > :35:01.Tower inquiry, we will have nowhere to hide either and the public will

:35:02. > :35:10.never forgive us. To make her maiden speech... Madam Deputy Speaker,

:35:11. > :35:14.thank you for this opportunity to address the House and make my maiden

:35:15. > :35:17.speech today. As a London MP, I am grateful for the chance to speak in

:35:18. > :35:24.the debate about the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. It is an honour and

:35:25. > :35:28.a privilege to be elected to represent Lewisham west and pains,

:35:29. > :35:37.the area that I love. I was raised and went to primary school there,

:35:38. > :35:42.and I went to secondary school in Penge. I am glad to call it home. If

:35:43. > :35:47.anybody told me I would go on to become an MP for my area, I would

:35:48. > :35:51.have laughed. Society never seem to have much aspiration for girls from

:35:52. > :35:55.my school and we were all too often written off. But I am here and my

:35:56. > :35:59.sister, the honourable member for Leeds West is here, so as my former

:36:00. > :36:05.English teacher said during the general election campaign, my school

:36:06. > :36:08.now has almost as many a long lie in this place as Eton.

:36:09. > :36:15.LAUGHTER -- alum now. Our constituency is a

:36:16. > :36:20.collection of the strong south-east London communities around Forest

:36:21. > :36:26.Hills, Bellingham and signum within Lewisham. Since 2010, it has taken

:36:27. > :36:30.in the bustle of Penge high Street, the suburban calm of lock ayes and

:36:31. > :36:36.the splendour of Crystal Palace Park, including its legendary

:36:37. > :36:43.dinosaurs. IMB 12 member to serve. I have a Lewisham Western Penge... I

:36:44. > :36:48.feel privileged to be the first woman to represent my constituency,

:36:49. > :36:52.99 years after it was created, the same year as the representation of

:36:53. > :36:58.the people act and the first election in which women could vote.

:36:59. > :37:03.My predecessor represented the constituency for 25 years and has

:37:04. > :37:09.devoted more than 40 years of his life to public service. Both in this

:37:10. > :37:15.House and an Lewisham Council. A lifelong resident of S E 23, Jim

:37:16. > :37:18.stood up for our local services and good jobs and he represented his

:37:19. > :37:23.constituents with conviction on national issues. He held a range of

:37:24. > :37:30.positions both in Government and opposition. And used his position to

:37:31. > :37:35.further causes that were important to him. Especially his love of

:37:36. > :37:40.animals and their welfare, even his general election literature from

:37:41. > :37:48.2015 included a picture of him shaking hands with a giant cat.

:37:49. > :37:51.LAUGHTER Previously a bellwether seat, Jim

:37:52. > :37:56.and those who helped run the local party have helped turn Lewisham

:37:57. > :38:01.Western Penge into a strong Labour seat whilst never taking anything

:38:02. > :38:06.for granted. It is in part thanks to them and their hard work but I am

:38:07. > :38:12.able to stand here now as their representatives in Parliament. Jim

:38:13. > :38:15.has been a good friend to me and my family. His support has been

:38:16. > :38:22.immeasurable and I know he will be greatly missed in this place. Madam

:38:23. > :38:26.Deputy Speaker, the enormous loss of life at Grenfell Tower and the

:38:27. > :38:31.preventable tragedy of what happened there has cast a shadow over the

:38:32. > :38:37.first few weeks of this Parliament. Hearing stories of the events that

:38:38. > :38:41.night, it was hard to hold back tears, the unimaginable horror of a

:38:42. > :38:46.mother throwing a baby from a tenth floor window still haunts me. The

:38:47. > :38:50.inquiry must never happen quickly, transparently and with the full

:38:51. > :38:55.inclusion of the victims. What seems clear to me is that what happened

:38:56. > :38:59.there and in the aftermath is symptomatic of a system that is

:39:00. > :39:04.broken, a system that neglects the poor and from the box, a system

:39:05. > :39:07.where cost effectiveness seems to have been put before a health and

:39:08. > :39:13.safety, and a system that I have come into this place to change.

:39:14. > :39:17.Madam Deputy Speaker, around the time it Jim would have been making

:39:18. > :39:21.his maiden speech, I was at secondary school in the

:39:22. > :39:26.constituency. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, we had lessons in hearts,

:39:27. > :39:32.class sizes of 35 and not enough books to go around. As the daughter

:39:33. > :39:36.of two teachers, I knew that teachers were undervalued and

:39:37. > :39:43.underpaid. My parents are here today and I am thankful for the values and

:39:44. > :39:47.for the support they have given me. It was my experiences growing up

:39:48. > :39:51.that made me want to stand up and fight to end inequality and to make

:39:52. > :39:56.sure every child gets the best chance in life, no matter what their

:39:57. > :40:01.wealth or background. I am saddened to say that all schools in my

:40:02. > :40:06.constituency are facing funding cuts, and our wonderful boys

:40:07. > :40:10.comprehensive Forest Hills School is ?1.3 million in deficit. I made a

:40:11. > :40:15.promise to my constituents that I would fight hard for our schools and

:40:16. > :40:19.our young people and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Madam Deputy

:40:20. > :40:25.Speaker, and other issue I want to fight for in this place is defending

:40:26. > :40:29.workplace rights. Before entering Parliament, I was an employment

:40:30. > :40:34.rights lawyer for more than a decade, representing working people

:40:35. > :40:38.day in day out. I know first-hand how many of our employment rights

:40:39. > :40:43.come from Europe, such as paid holiday, limits on working time and

:40:44. > :40:47.many of our discrimination laws. I will fight tooth and nail to fight

:40:48. > :40:52.any compromise of those rights as we negotiate Britain's exit from the

:40:53. > :40:57.EU. But we need to go further than that and create a secure workplace

:40:58. > :41:01.and decent wages by banning few hours contracts and raising the

:41:02. > :41:05.national minimum wage. I was at a food bank in my constituency on

:41:06. > :41:08.Friday and it is an absolute travesty that people are having to

:41:09. > :41:15.make a choice whether to feed their children or feed themselves. An

:41:16. > :41:18.issue close to my heart is maternity discrimination. After the birth of

:41:19. > :41:22.my son, I said to be business to provide pregnancy the and flexible

:41:23. > :41:28.working advice to mums and families. I want to work to ensure all jobs

:41:29. > :41:31.are flexible by default and that all parents can take parental leave

:41:32. > :41:39.without fear of discrimination or of the loss of their job. I believe

:41:40. > :41:41.that a first-rate education, excellent health care, decent

:41:42. > :41:46.housing and proper employment rights are essential to the prosperity of

:41:47. > :41:50.us all. Rather than condemn our constituents to a race to the

:41:51. > :41:55.bottom, we must offer them hope and ensure that our country is able to

:41:56. > :42:04.thrive, advance in progress whilst no one is left behind. Thank you

:42:05. > :42:08.very much. Thank you. May I begin by congratulating the honourable lady

:42:09. > :42:12.for an Lewisham West and Penge for such a powerful and articulate a

:42:13. > :42:16.maiden speech. It is clear she will be a forceful and effective advocate

:42:17. > :42:20.for her constituency, her sister can be proud, purse late-night

:42:21. > :42:25.appearance can be proud and her constituents watching on TV can be

:42:26. > :42:28.proud. I congratulate her. I wanted to say a few words today about the

:42:29. > :42:36.public inquiry into this dreadful tragedy. At the risk of stating the

:42:37. > :42:38.obvious, it is vitally important of course it is carried out with

:42:39. > :42:42.absolute impartiality, without fear absolute impartiality, without fear

:42:43. > :42:46.or favour and motivated by a dogged determination to get to the truth

:42:47. > :42:51.for ever it may like and how convenient or inconvenient that may

:42:52. > :42:58.be. It is precisely because of those fundamental principles that I think

:42:59. > :43:00.Sir Martin Moore-Bick is the right man for the job, notwithstanding

:43:01. > :43:05.some of the Commons that may have been made. Let me be clear, I don't

:43:06. > :43:09.know Sir Martin, I have never met him. But I do know the Court of

:43:10. > :43:12.Appeal where he served with great distinction and I have appeared

:43:13. > :43:19.there as an advocate on more occasions than I care to remember. I

:43:20. > :43:23.can say with my hand on my heart, it is the jewel of the British

:43:24. > :43:27.constitution. There are some of the most brilliant brains in the country

:43:28. > :43:30.perhaps more importantly, is allied perhaps more importantly, is allied

:43:31. > :43:36.with absolute and ferocious independence. I am sorry to say

:43:37. > :43:39."aye" have lost in the Court of Appeal for more times than I have

:43:40. > :43:42.one, but it is the most powerful tribute I can pay to the Court of

:43:43. > :43:45.Appeal that I have left understanding the reasons and

:43:46. > :43:49.acknowledging the fairness and integrity they have brought to the

:43:50. > :43:55.process. That's why I want to address what appears to be a

:43:56. > :44:02.troubling insinuation that might be being made, that as an educated man

:44:03. > :44:06.with a title, that he is somehow in eligible. Let me be clear, in every

:44:07. > :44:10.system of law you don't get to that position by being nice to be

:44:11. > :44:12.Government. You get to that position were often than not by being a

:44:13. > :44:15.nuisance, by holding the Government nuisance, by holding the Government

:44:16. > :44:22.back when it overreaches itself and holding them fiercely to account.

:44:23. > :44:26.The legal culture in this country is that the greatest accolade you can

:44:27. > :44:33.pay to a judge is that he or she is fairer. The Court of Appeal has that

:44:34. > :44:42.in spades, Sir Martin has that in spades. We owe it to the victims to

:44:43. > :44:52.let him get on with the job. Thank you. Can I begin by paying tribute

:44:53. > :44:56.to my honourable friend the member for Lewisham West and Penge. She

:44:57. > :45:01.made an eloquent speech. She is clearly going to fill the shoes of

:45:02. > :45:06.her predecessor very eloquently. He was one of the more outstanding

:45:07. > :45:12.members on the backbenches here. I remember him for many reasons, not

:45:13. > :45:20.all for his Parliamentary approach to debate. He was a forthright

:45:21. > :45:28.advocate on behalf of his constituents. I can remember when he

:45:29. > :45:42.was my weapon, I remember him with a great deal of affection then as

:45:43. > :45:47.well. We finished on good terms. Madam Deputy Speaker, this is an

:45:48. > :45:51.absolute tragedy. I want to associate myself with all the

:45:52. > :45:58.comments made by people about the first responders and emergency

:45:59. > :46:01.services to some of the offices of Kensington and Chelsea Council who

:46:02. > :46:08.went above and beyond the call of duty to try and respond to the needs

:46:09. > :46:12.of local people. That is sometimes overlooked. There were individuals

:46:13. > :46:16.who did an enormous amount of work which we need to recognise. Of

:46:17. > :46:22.course, the people who were affected by the tragedy.

:46:23. > :46:32.This exposed a complete failure from government right the way through to

:46:33. > :46:36.local government. It exposed that when local authorities reduced the

:46:37. > :46:41.resources in terms of their manpower and the services they can provide to

:46:42. > :46:46.a point where there are so thin that they cannot respond in these

:46:47. > :46:55.circumstances then it is quite clear that we are going too far with

:46:56. > :46:59.reductions in investment in what is needed to support local communities.

:47:00. > :47:06.There is more to a council van just a posh town hall. It is what is in

:47:07. > :47:11.it that really counts. And when prides itself on being able to give

:47:12. > :47:21.a ?100 council tax rebate in the run-up to local elections then that

:47:22. > :47:26.council leaves itself with few resources to respond in the

:47:27. > :47:31.circumstances and it takes what has to be described as a minimalist

:47:32. > :47:35.approach to backing up those services, and also prides itself

:47:36. > :47:40.first and foremost on how little it spends, then it is no wonder that

:47:41. > :47:43.you have no resilience when a tragedy like this happens. And one

:47:44. > :47:48.of the things that we have to last the enquiry to look into is why it

:47:49. > :47:55.was, because this is a tragedy that would have overwhelmed most if not

:47:56. > :48:00.all local authorities, it was a huge demand on local resources that were

:48:01. > :48:02.made, they would have needed the assistance of other local

:48:03. > :48:09.authorities to step in and support them. So the question has to be, why

:48:10. > :48:13.Windows offers of request were coming in in the first 24 hours did

:48:14. > :48:18.Kensington and Chelsea Council not get back to respond to offers of

:48:19. > :48:22.help? I know my local authority has not only been dealing with the

:48:23. > :48:26.concerns that are coming from our local residents were living in tower

:48:27. > :48:32.blocks and wanting to know that they are safe and having to use their

:48:33. > :48:36.communications and housing officers and councillors to go and talk to

:48:37. > :48:39.residents to reassure them to carry out the fire safety checks and

:48:40. > :48:43.everything else, but at the same time they have also been providing

:48:44. > :48:48.support to Kensington and Chelsea. It's quite clear that there was

:48:49. > :48:53.something fundamentally wrong at the heart of Kensington and Chelsea in

:48:54. > :48:59.the way they responded to those offers of help. Members of the

:49:00. > :49:03.community spontaneously got themselves together and responded to

:49:04. > :49:09.the needs of those local people. There are also some lessons we could

:49:10. > :49:15.have learned along the way. The chair of the fire safety all-party

:49:16. > :49:19.group has mentioned lessons could have been learnt. It is not just

:49:20. > :49:23.Lakanal Rebecca Downie weren't lessons. There have been incidents

:49:24. > :49:30.in other countries when exactly the same type of aluminium cladding has

:49:31. > :49:38.caused a rapid spread of fire, one that took place in 2014 in Melbourne

:49:39. > :49:46.in Australia. The photographs of this that or on the internet and

:49:47. > :49:53.have been recorded in the media are almost identical to the fire that

:49:54. > :50:01.took place at Grenfell Tower. What is surprising about this is when you

:50:02. > :50:04.talk to experts in this field, fire safety officers and others, they

:50:05. > :50:07.were aware of this fire and the knew the significance of this fire and

:50:08. > :50:11.the lessons that should have been learned about this type of cladding

:50:12. > :50:14.at that time. And what is remarkable is there doesn't seem to be any

:50:15. > :50:19.knowledge of this coming from the government or any review of the

:50:20. > :50:24.materials used for tower blocks at that time because other countries

:50:25. > :50:32.did take action. They took steps to ban this type of cladding being used

:50:33. > :50:38.on tower blocks. There are some questions that come from this. One

:50:39. > :50:43.is this issue of sprinkler systems which I will come to. In the case of

:50:44. > :50:47.the tower in Melbourne, there was a sprinkler system in place, 500

:50:48. > :50:51.people were evacuated from that block, no-one died and the reason

:50:52. > :50:58.they got out safely was because there was a sprinkler in place. In

:50:59. > :51:04.some parts of the building, the sprinkler system was overcome by

:51:05. > :51:16.fire, but it was still sufficient to allow people to leave. The question

:51:17. > :51:22.has to be asked why the government has not been learning lessons. I

:51:23. > :51:30.would ask the enquiry to look into that. In addition, some countries

:51:31. > :51:36.have taken steps to limit the number of people who can live at height

:51:37. > :51:40.within tower blocks of certain designs. I would also ask the

:51:41. > :51:44.enquiry to look into that. Are the regulations that we need to take to

:51:45. > :51:51.try to limit the number of people who live in tower blocks at height

:51:52. > :51:58.because this again was an issue in the Melbourne fire where there were

:51:59. > :52:02.so many people due to shortage of housing and housing costs, there

:52:03. > :52:06.were so many people crammed into units in that tower block because

:52:07. > :52:11.that is something we need to have a fire regulation and I would ask the

:52:12. > :52:18.enquiry to look into that. I am grateful to him for giving way. When

:52:19. > :52:23.I met with Sheffield local authority, they expressed concerns

:52:24. > :52:26.of individuals living in flats above takeaways and other commercial

:52:27. > :52:36.premises as well. That often share the same kitchen and backroom as

:52:37. > :52:40.commercial premises and often are overcrowded with illegal immigrants

:52:41. > :52:46.and overcrowding. It is something we have to look at. In another

:52:47. > :52:52.situation, the numbers of people in a block could become an issue. We

:52:53. > :52:56.don't know that wasn't an issue here as well. Another thing the enquiry

:52:57. > :52:59.must look at is the issue raised by my honourable friend the chair of

:53:00. > :53:06.the select committee about building control. There are a number of

:53:07. > :53:14.issues here about enforcement and making regular checks only the work

:53:15. > :53:20.that is being undertaken during refurbishment. Are fire blocks in

:53:21. > :53:24.place in between for us? The advice I'm getting from a constituent of

:53:25. > :53:29.mine who is an expert and has been in the media and speaking on this

:53:30. > :53:33.issue and has done so for many years, he is saying we are very

:53:34. > :53:37.relaxed about the enforcement of fire blocks between the floors and

:53:38. > :53:44.around windows and we need to ensure that there is proper enforcement of

:53:45. > :53:48.this. Again, I think this is an area that the enquiry should look into.

:53:49. > :53:56.Also, this issue about being able to appoint your own building control.

:53:57. > :53:59.This is a responsibility that must be with the local authority. There

:54:00. > :54:04.must be clear lines of responsibility. We must do away with

:54:05. > :54:14.this situation be local authorities are really put to the sidelines over

:54:15. > :54:20.insuring safety standards are of the utmost importance when these schemes

:54:21. > :54:26.are going head. Does he agree with me that it is also a scandal that

:54:27. > :54:31.building control does not require any minimum qualifications to enter

:54:32. > :54:34.into being a building control practitioner? Is this not something

:54:35. > :54:40.he would agree we need urgent action on? Fightback absolutely. An

:54:41. > :54:47.incident like this shows that you must have a basic knowledge of fire

:54:48. > :54:53.safety regulations. There are many other issues that building control

:54:54. > :54:56.have to cover. Of course you must have a minimum requirement of

:54:57. > :55:02.qualifications, it goes without saying. I want to come back quickly

:55:03. > :55:08.to this issue or sprinklers because it makes absolutely no sense that we

:55:09. > :55:16.have a situation where new blocks built to new building standards over

:55:17. > :55:23.30 metres high are required to have a sprinkler system installed. Of

:55:24. > :55:28.older buildings built to an older standard of building control are not

:55:29. > :55:35.required to retrofit. That is completely and utterly illogical. It

:55:36. > :55:38.must be no outside of the enquiry and everything else that the

:55:39. > :55:45.government now accept that we have to fund, and the government has to

:55:46. > :55:49.fund it, the retrofitting of sprinklers into those blocks of

:55:50. > :55:57.flats where the recommended by fire safety officers. This fire shows

:55:58. > :56:02.that that is essential and that should be done. The government

:56:03. > :56:11.should just move ahead on that and accept that that is something that

:56:12. > :56:17.we cannot hold back on. On the issue of cladding, we are told there was a

:56:18. > :56:26.plan to pit fireproof cladding on but it was ?2 per square metre more

:56:27. > :56:31.expensive than the cheaper version. If that is correct, obviously the

:56:32. > :56:35.enquiry will have something to say about that. But there are some

:56:36. > :56:40.questions here. This type of cladding was already on other blocks

:56:41. > :56:45.were similar fires had taken place. Why was it allowed to be used on

:56:46. > :56:48.that block? Is it true that the contractors that were actually

:56:49. > :56:59.erecting the cladding at the time raised concerns about whether they

:57:00. > :57:03.should actually be put -- putting cladding on a block of that height.

:57:04. > :57:08.If that is true, action must be taken against the people who made

:57:09. > :57:17.that decision. I will not give way because I have taken up some time. I

:57:18. > :57:24.have had the nod from the Speaker. If I don't sit down quite soon I

:57:25. > :57:31.won't get cold again, so clearly action must be taken on that. One

:57:32. > :57:34.final question I have the Minister really is about the building

:57:35. > :57:45.regulation advisory committee. We were told in the report into Lakanal

:57:46. > :57:48.that the committee would meet to oversee fire regulations but that

:57:49. > :57:53.did not take place. The Minister said it would be completed by the

:57:54. > :57:58.end of this year. It has not yet met. And mini digger from the

:57:59. > :58:03.Minister why that is. Why it is in the face of the report from Lakanal

:58:04. > :58:10.that that committee did not meet to review those fire regulations

:58:11. > :58:15.because in my opinion I think that that is the government asleep on the

:58:16. > :58:21.job. To conclude, I hope the enquiry when it reports will learn the

:58:22. > :58:24.lessons from this once and for all. Lakanal should have told us the

:58:25. > :58:27.steps we should have taken to prevent this. Fires that have taken

:58:28. > :58:32.place since Lakanal in other countries were pointing the way to

:58:33. > :58:42.the action we should've taken. Once and for all, we have two insure this

:58:43. > :58:48.type of tragedy never happens again. Would like to extend congratulations

:58:49. > :58:52.to the new member for Lewisham West. It feels strange to be welcoming you

:58:53. > :58:57.because I've only just arrived myself. It was a wonderful speech

:58:58. > :59:05.and I look forward to working with her in future. I greatly enjoyed

:59:06. > :59:11.giving my own maiden speech. But it gives me no pleasure to speak to the

:59:12. > :59:15.House about this terrible tragedy. I'm afraid to say it will be one of

:59:16. > :59:18.those disasters that marks this period in our history and we will

:59:19. > :59:25.remember for a very long period to come. I think the Prime Minister has

:59:26. > :59:35.responded to it entirely appropriately by calling for a judge

:59:36. > :59:37.led enquiry. I was very pleased that the Shadow Secretary of State didn't

:59:38. > :59:44.question the fundamental basis on which we intend to proceed. Further

:59:45. > :59:47.to go to the Lord Chief Justice and ask for a very senior judge to be

:59:48. > :59:51.appointed and proceed with an enquiry which will look into the

:59:52. > :59:57.immediate causes of the fire but also the wider issues. As my

:59:58. > :00:01.honourable friend the Member for North East Hertfordshire said

:00:02. > :00:07.earlier, that actually gives the enquiry the opportunity to report

:00:08. > :00:12.perhaps in two stages or perhaps in several stages so that local

:00:13. > :00:17.residents can hear some of the issues that affected them

:00:18. > :00:20.immediately whilst the enquiry goes on to consider broader questions

:00:21. > :00:26.which affect communities and councils in many areas across the

:00:27. > :00:31.country. With reference to wider issues, I would like to see a few

:00:32. > :00:35.remarks. And I do so sort of declaring an interest in that I was

:00:36. > :00:38.for a while on the board of a housing association in the West of

:00:39. > :00:50.England of the Arlington Housing group. The first thing that has

:00:51. > :00:53.struck me is something that came out of a BBC Newsnight investigation

:00:54. > :01:01.which suggests that developers may have used desk -based research and

:01:02. > :01:07.only desk -based research to persuade inspectors that the

:01:08. > :01:11.cladding concerned was safe to use. If that is the case, then there are

:01:12. > :01:17.serious questions to answer following the tragedy and we want to

:01:18. > :01:18.know I'm sure where that has happened elsewhere in the country as

:01:19. > :01:28.well. I think about tenants feedback. If

:01:29. > :01:34.the reports that have come to light our that tenants were complaining to

:01:35. > :01:40.their management organisation about safety in the building and those

:01:41. > :01:48.calls were not being listened to, again, we need to know why. We need

:01:49. > :01:51.to know why the DMO was not picking up on that very important feedback

:01:52. > :01:55.that only someone who lives in the building can give. I'm not saying

:01:56. > :01:59.that if it had been listened to it could have prevented the fire, but

:02:00. > :02:03.without feedback you are going to put people in other buildings at

:02:04. > :02:11.risk. Of that I am sure we can be certain. This brings me onto my next

:02:12. > :02:16.point, the issue of illegal sub tenants, illegal subletting is. It

:02:17. > :02:21.is a very delicate and sensitive subject and the Government has been

:02:22. > :02:24.absolutely right to create an dot-mac and Amazon need to encourage

:02:25. > :02:34.everyone to seek help and to come forward. To seek amnesty. We're you

:02:35. > :02:37.have illegal subletting, it really, really discourages people living in

:02:38. > :02:42.that building to come forward and report their concerns. It breaks the

:02:43. > :02:48.feedback. We all have to think about ways in which we can ensure that

:02:49. > :02:53.people living in social housing in this country can come forward and

:02:54. > :02:59.have their concerns heard. My fourth point relates to something I said in

:03:00. > :03:04.the house the other day. It has been picked up on by a couple of other

:03:05. > :03:08.members. What happens in Kensington and Chelsea begs serious questions

:03:09. > :03:14.about emergency and contingency planning in our local authorities.

:03:15. > :03:17.Just as some other local authorities have used the cladding which seems

:03:18. > :03:22.to have been a major contributor towards the spire, other local

:03:23. > :03:27.authorities may have contingency or a emergency planning that leaves a

:03:28. > :03:29.reassured by the Secretary of reassured by the Secretary

:03:30. > :03:32.State's comments that the Cabinet State's comments that the Cabinet

:03:33. > :03:36.officers are already looking into this. The acumen this work is taken

:03:37. > :03:41.forward. I would just like to reflect on something that the

:03:42. > :03:45.said. He said I am glad we appear to said. He said I am glad we appear to

:03:46. > :03:51.be in agreement that we should have the joint lead inquiry. I was also

:03:52. > :03:58.very pleased that the Shadow Secretary of State did not criticise

:03:59. > :04:04.Sir Martin. That is much to be welcomed. He is a highly respected

:04:05. > :04:07.judge. He has achieved great things in his profession, dealing with

:04:08. > :04:12.extremely complex areas of law which will reap relevant to this inquiry.

:04:13. > :04:17.That is an asset to the investigation that is going to take

:04:18. > :04:22.place. We should all welcome it. His ability to do that work is not

:04:23. > :04:29.hampered by the colour of his skin and he is not hampered by his social

:04:30. > :04:34.class. His skills have gotten to where and it is his skills skills we

:04:35. > :04:40.should back. This inquiry is going to require some very cool headed

:04:41. > :04:43.thinking. It will not be helped by hot remarks that suggest to victims

:04:44. > :04:49.and their families they were intentionally killed by people in

:04:50. > :04:52.Government. It will not be held by remarks that suggest someone's

:04:53. > :05:00.impartiality is undermined because of their social class. We all have a

:05:01. > :05:04.duty to get behind this inquiry whilst seeking to debate its

:05:05. > :05:07.particulars. But to get behind this inquiry and encourage people to live

:05:08. > :05:17.in the area and other terror blocks to come forward and be part of it.

:05:18. > :05:22.To make her maiden speech... Thank you. Can I congratulate you on your

:05:23. > :05:27.election. It is a privilege to make my maiden speech but it is sobering

:05:28. > :05:31.to do so in a two-day's debate on Grenfell which reminds us all of the

:05:32. > :05:35.seriousness of our duties as members of this House. I am pleased to

:05:36. > :05:39.follow my honourable friend the member for Lewisham west who has

:05:40. > :05:45.also made her maiden speech today. I would like to begin by paying

:05:46. > :05:50.tribute to my predecessor, the son of a railwayman, he has been true to

:05:51. > :05:53.campaigner for Barnsley East, on campaigner for Barnsley East, on

:05:54. > :05:59.issues like immunity for Mrs and brass bands. For all of his

:06:00. > :06:04.achievements, he has been awarded with that rare accolade of featuring

:06:05. > :06:13.on the wall of the strangers bar, back to the wall than the floor.

:06:14. > :06:18.LAUGHTER Music is his passion and know it at

:06:19. > :06:22.his job as chief executive of UK music. I know family is important to

:06:23. > :06:29.him and I wish him and joke very well with their new adventure. I

:06:30. > :06:33.would like to mention his predecessor, who served as leader of

:06:34. > :06:38.Barnsley Council, MP for Barnsley East and now as the mayor of

:06:39. > :06:43.Barnsley, a unique achievement. Before entering this place, I was a

:06:44. > :06:48.teacher. Working in education I saw the profound power of learning and I

:06:49. > :06:53.have learnt that it is incumbent upon all of us to support the next

:06:54. > :06:59.generation. I am proud to be the first female MP for Barnsley East. I

:07:00. > :07:02.would not be here without the help and encouragement of a former female

:07:03. > :07:08.member, Madam Deputy Speaker, you will remember who sat in the Euro

:07:09. > :07:12.chair for many years, I am delighted she is here today along with my

:07:13. > :07:15.parents. I am the daughter of a midwife and a care worker and I owe

:07:16. > :07:20.them huge thanks for all of their support. For the last four years, I

:07:21. > :07:26.have been proud to fight for working people as an officer of the GMB

:07:27. > :07:30.trade union. As a member of this House I will continue that fight for

:07:31. > :07:35.working people, not least for the many jobs that are more precarious

:07:36. > :07:39.than ever before. Today's debate reminds us of what we have fought

:07:40. > :07:44.for over so many years and how the lessons of the past are still as

:07:45. > :07:47.relevant today. Even now, not all committees are equal and the

:07:48. > :07:53.protection of human life requires our action in this House. Many

:07:54. > :07:57.people will know about Barnsley's history and there is so much to be

:07:58. > :08:01.proud of, but I still have constituents waiting for justice for

:08:02. > :08:05.what happened to them is at or agreed in 84. We must ensure the

:08:06. > :08:20.Grenfell victims do not wait as long. In Barnsley East, our heritage

:08:21. > :08:24.runs along that dot-mac alongside. Our communities were built on heavy

:08:25. > :08:29.industry, glass, steel and coal. Mining with the way of life for

:08:30. > :08:34.entire communities, 30,000 people worked down the pits and the impact

:08:35. > :08:39.of their last is still felt today. Many of my honourable friends will

:08:40. > :08:47.know my constituency from the film Last Off. It should the character,

:08:48. > :08:51.grit, humour and solidarity, with honest, decent, hard-working people.

:08:52. > :08:55.Those who have seen the film will not be able to forget Danny's

:08:56. > :08:59.powerful speech, where he says nothing matter like people matter.

:09:00. > :09:02.It is traditional stock of the great history of your constituency any

:09:03. > :09:07.maiden speech. I am very proud to do so. Nothing matters like people

:09:08. > :09:11.matter. It is above all the people of finally East to make the

:09:12. > :09:18.constituency what it is, people like the teaching assistants, her pay

:09:19. > :09:24.following that her bills rising. She looks after our children, we should

:09:25. > :09:27.look after her. People like the insecure workouts, she works hard

:09:28. > :09:32.for her family, we should work just as hard for her. People like the

:09:33. > :09:35.veteran who served his country yet is now homeless and jobless. He

:09:36. > :09:40.fought for us, we should fight for him. In a Barnsley Easterby can be

:09:41. > :09:43.proud of our industry and our history, all of that matters but

:09:44. > :09:49.none of it matters like people matters. There is a banner in a

:09:50. > :09:53.Barnsley in Brighton with the words the past we inherit, the future we

:09:54. > :09:58.build. I have spoken about our past, but the people of bind the Khan east

:09:59. > :10:01.did not send me here to honour our history. The centimetre to build our

:10:02. > :10:10.future and that is what I intend to do. Thank you. This is only the

:10:11. > :10:16.second opportunity I have had to make a speech in this chamber. I am

:10:17. > :10:20.looking at those making their maiden speeches and thinking, that was only

:10:21. > :10:25.me last week. But I am also looking at the benches opposite and

:10:26. > :10:29.thinking, they haven't had the opportunity or the presence of mind

:10:30. > :10:34.so far to elect a female leader of the party. And yet from the speeches

:10:35. > :10:44.we have just heard from Lewisham and Barnsley, it cannot be long until

:10:45. > :10:48.they do that. Because there is an amazing female talent in that party

:10:49. > :10:51.and I just cannot understand why they just haven't taken over the

:10:52. > :10:56.party and taken all of the positions on the front bench, with the

:10:57. > :11:02.greatest of respect to those men who are sat in them at the moment. It is

:11:03. > :11:08.an honour to follow you both and it is unfortunate, it will only demean

:11:09. > :11:11.my own performance. Moving on, I feel not only do I need to declare

:11:12. > :11:17.some interest by referring members to my entry in the register members

:11:18. > :11:21.interest but I also feel like I am presenting my CV. I am still

:11:22. > :11:26.currently the chair of the board of a housing association that has

:11:27. > :11:33.20,000 homes in Warsaw, I am also until the end of this month, I am

:11:34. > :11:38.still trying to help out, the assistant chief executive of YMCA in

:11:39. > :11:42.Birmingham and they have 300 units of accommodation for formerly

:11:43. > :11:46.homeless young people. I am also a member of the chartered Institute

:11:47. > :11:51.and I am a civil engineer by degree, that is relevant because of the

:11:52. > :11:56.points appealingly to make. First of all, I have obviously sat in a

:11:57. > :12:02.number of meetings and chair of the board. That association is currently

:12:03. > :12:07.on the site or in contract to build approximately 800 properties. Some

:12:08. > :12:10.of those properties will be shared ownership and it is understood there

:12:11. > :12:14.is a need for that type of property across the UK. Some of those

:12:15. > :12:19.properties are the slightly more innovative rent to buy, there will

:12:20. > :12:22.be opportunities for different ten years of housing than I funded by

:12:23. > :12:27.this Government and perhaps the thing I am most proud of in terms of

:12:28. > :12:32.that Government funding is that YMCA will be in receipt of homelessness

:12:33. > :12:36.funding and that will allow us to modernise a 72 bed hostel we have

:12:37. > :12:39.need of modernisation. This need of modernisation.

:12:40. > :12:44.Government is investing in housing Government is investing in housing

:12:45. > :12:55.of various tenuous. My right honourable friend said that... Did I

:12:56. > :13:00.get that right? Said the Grenfell tragedy will be one we talk about

:13:01. > :13:05.for many years to come, it is a significant and tragic event. Next

:13:06. > :13:15.year will mark the 50th anniversary of the disaster at Ronan point. The

:13:16. > :13:20.ensuing explosion that was caused by gas leaking from a pipe to her

:13:21. > :13:25.cooker blew her across the room, but more importantly knocked out some

:13:26. > :13:29.supporting balls in that flat. She was on the flat fifth from top and

:13:30. > :13:34.not only did it take out the supporting balls and damage of the

:13:35. > :13:37.flats above that there was any catastrophic failure for all flats

:13:38. > :13:42.below, resulting in four people dying. The devastation to that

:13:43. > :13:46.building. Subsequently tests were building. Subsequently tests were

:13:47. > :13:53.done, new structural supports were put in and the building was

:13:54. > :13:56.reoccupied. The consideration with regard to the design criteria went

:13:57. > :14:03.on for years, many people challenging complex things, affected

:14:04. > :14:07.by bird the windows are open or not, and eventually the building was

:14:08. > :14:11.taken down about 18 years later. The point I am trying to make is,

:14:12. > :14:16.sometimes it is not easy to understand what has gone wrong.

:14:17. > :14:22.Speaking as somebody who has supervised the construction of these

:14:23. > :14:30.buildings, designers invariably air on the side of caution. A very

:14:31. > :14:37.powerful speech and I value his experience in the building sector.

:14:38. > :14:38.Does he agree that quite often that query terms like limited

:14:39. > :14:43.combustibility argues it might be combustibility argues it might be

:14:44. > :14:47.more helpful if there was a more precise standard for fire retardant

:14:48. > :14:50.C? Niebrugge this is an opportunity for some recommendations on those

:14:51. > :14:56.lines, where everybody knows exactly what the standard is that needs to

:14:57. > :15:00.be met. My honourable friend is right, where there is the

:15:01. > :15:07.opportunity for any interpretation that you have the chance to air on

:15:08. > :15:10.the side of caution or on the side of cutting costs. That explicit

:15:11. > :15:16.detail would prevent that opportunity for interpretation. From

:15:17. > :15:23.my point of view, you will never be able to mitigate all risk. It is

:15:24. > :15:30.incredibly important we work with our Fire Service to minimise that

:15:31. > :15:36.risk. I am delighted to say that I am meeting the head of the Fire

:15:37. > :15:39.Service at YMCA, he inspected our hostel and made recommendations with

:15:40. > :15:44.regard to the improvements we can make, and we are acting upon them.

:15:45. > :15:48.This is relevant, because we have Origi discuss the idea of the state

:15:49. > :15:52.that policy. The concept of that is built on the idea of

:15:53. > :15:59.compartmentalisation. If all of the fabric of the flat allows to raise

:16:00. > :16:03.exposure to fire, before it penetrates, then you can reasonably

:16:04. > :16:05.stay in that flat for a period of time, safe in the knowledge that

:16:06. > :16:14.somebody should be able to come and rescue you during that period.

:16:15. > :16:24.He will have seen this in the warm weather, fire doors propped open

:16:25. > :16:28.ironically with fire extinguishers, rendering the door useless in the

:16:29. > :16:34.event of a fire. Similarly, we have seen fire doors painted. The smoke

:16:35. > :16:39.seal strip on the edge of the door, affected by pain. There are. It's

:16:40. > :16:49.serving its purpose in the event of fire. What I'm saying, we have a

:16:50. > :16:52.responsibility commit to go back to the big housing providers, and seek

:16:53. > :16:57.assurance from them individually that they are sticking with the

:16:58. > :17:01.legislation already in place, and before we go looking towards too

:17:02. > :17:10.much on new legislation, let's make at least absolutely sure... Thank

:17:11. > :17:14.you, Madam Deputy Speaker, with the member for Walsall North agreed they

:17:15. > :17:20.have a responsibility to provide adequate resources to our Fire

:17:21. > :17:26.Services? Let's deal with staff morale. The pay cap imposed on our

:17:27. > :17:33.emergency services, like the Fire Service, not helping matters at all.

:17:34. > :17:38.I am not sure I can totally agree with the latter half of the point. I

:17:39. > :17:42.think personally the response for the Fire Service for the Grenfell

:17:43. > :17:50.Tower tragedy was absolutely fantastic. The response to the

:17:51. > :17:56.Ariana grant a concert was fantastic. The service I have

:17:57. > :18:03.personally had from the Fire Service has been absolutely fantastic.

:18:04. > :18:06.Clearly they are managing to deliver a first-class Fire Service based on

:18:07. > :18:14.the resources they currently have. I would end by saying let's make

:18:15. > :18:19.absolutely sure we understand fire safety is everybody's

:18:20. > :18:26.responsibility. We will have a duty to ensure whatever Bill building we

:18:27. > :18:36.are operating in... I know you are just about to close. Accepting

:18:37. > :18:39.points about personal responsibility, not painting doors,

:18:40. > :18:44.fire extinguishers. People must be forgiven for leaving their windows

:18:45. > :18:50.open on a hot summer night, and the flames engulfing it outside. I could

:18:51. > :18:54.not agree more. We need to be certain the design criteria we are

:18:55. > :19:05.applying to these buildings mitigates for that kind of

:19:06. > :19:10.circumstance. At times of national disaster, poet laureates are called

:19:11. > :19:16.upon to commemorate and reflect upon events. In North Kensington we have

:19:17. > :19:29.we have our own Glen Johnsons and Alfred Lord Tennysons. We have Paton

:19:30. > :19:33.Whisper calling out Grenfell Tower Britain in guttural prose. We have

:19:34. > :19:36.poets and artists aplenty. The council does not recognise the

:19:37. > :19:42.talent. The Philistine council would like to spend ?30 million on Opera

:19:43. > :19:48.for a minority in Holland Park over 20 years. Why is this relevant to

:19:49. > :19:52.the debate to date? Kensington and Chelsea Council has misspent

:19:53. > :19:57.government and council taxpayers funds on countless vanity projects

:19:58. > :20:04.and hand-outs as we have heard. Underfunding essential services like

:20:05. > :20:09.nurseries, homework clubs, advice centres, skills training, and of

:20:10. > :20:14.course as tragically demonstrated, council housing. Not to mention

:20:15. > :20:20.controversial project to hand over Kensington library and youth centre

:20:21. > :20:25.to private schools at a cost to the council at ?11 million. Without even

:20:26. > :20:32.consulting the public whose money is being used to fund private

:20:33. > :20:35.education. ?11 million gift to the private sector, what they cannot

:20:36. > :20:41.find money for sprinklers, decent cladding and fire alarms. Where is

:20:42. > :20:48.the accountability? To whom does Britain's favourite council report?

:20:49. > :20:52.Not to the task force. As has been acknowledge, the council response in

:20:53. > :20:59.the and days after the fire was shockingly inadequate, possibly

:21:00. > :21:04.criminally neglectful. We shall see. Have they learned from their

:21:05. > :21:06.mistakes? They have not. They remove the chief executive, the senior

:21:07. > :21:13.councillor resigned. Who is replacing them? Where fundamental

:21:14. > :21:17.changes desperately needed and no change at all. A consolidation of

:21:18. > :21:21.the leadership that failed. Survivors and volunteers are asking

:21:22. > :21:25.where is the money so generously donated by the public? Where are the

:21:26. > :21:32.millions, who is deciding where it should go? Why is the council not

:21:33. > :21:40.using its one third of the billion reserve, purchasing properties for

:21:41. > :21:43.those they have failed. Underspending revenue shovelled into

:21:44. > :21:49.capital reserves for vanity projects should be returned to those who need

:21:50. > :21:54.it. What is needed is fundamental change. I can see we're not going to

:21:55. > :21:58.get it without further outside intervention and the support of

:21:59. > :22:01.people who can be trusted. The longer the current situation

:22:02. > :22:06.prevails, the worse it will get. I am asking for intervention. I get

:22:07. > :22:10.daily updates from people on the ground. Where is the wraparound

:22:11. > :22:15.support for the bereaved and desperate people staying in hotels

:22:16. > :22:19.as the much trumpeted high-quality temporary accommodation has not been

:22:20. > :22:25.suitable or not offered little. Why offer a survivor a high-rise flat?

:22:26. > :22:30.Why offered a disabled woman a home only reachable by stairs and the

:22:31. > :22:37.left? That happened this week. Why offer a flat in Pimlico, too far to

:22:38. > :22:40.reach survivors networks? I thank the honourable lady for giving way.

:22:41. > :22:45.Listening very carefully to the words. First she not accept it

:22:46. > :22:53.should be the choice of people offering accommodation as to whether

:22:54. > :22:58.they take it? I thank you for that. They have been offered one choice.

:22:59. > :23:04.They have had no choice. It is that choice of the hotel. In temporary

:23:05. > :23:10.accommodation, they have a choice of three or four. After that, they may

:23:11. > :23:15.be threatened with involuntary homelessness this. They have been

:23:16. > :23:21.offered one each. Nothing has happened this week. I direct

:23:22. > :23:28.communication, still nowise accountable. More specifically on

:23:29. > :23:33.housing, can meet knowledge that racist is to be chaotic daily and

:23:34. > :23:39.for many, why is the TMO under criminal investigation still in

:23:40. > :23:43.control of housing? The updates I get from survivors, members of

:23:44. > :23:47.voluntary groups and others involved in the project talk about a lack of

:23:48. > :23:53.cultural awareness of some social workers, lack of continuity of care.

:23:54. > :23:57.The issue of amnesty or no amnesty for those of concern over

:23:58. > :24:04.immigration. It continues. Communication is very poor. Issues

:24:05. > :24:10.relating to blocks continue? Are they safe? The confusion from the

:24:11. > :24:14.TMO, about payment of rent, threatened evictions for those who

:24:15. > :24:18.have not paid. This may have been dealt with, the legacy is still

:24:19. > :24:25.there. Does where they stand? It seems not. Some neighbours in blocks

:24:26. > :24:30.are to scared to return. They say they hate ghosts. As far as we can

:24:31. > :24:37.ascertain, survivors are given one choice of accommodation. Why only

:24:38. > :24:41.one? Another turned down a flat with mould, another turned down one

:24:42. > :24:44.scheduled for demolition. There is an eight centralised list of decent

:24:45. > :24:51.housing. There seems to be no coordination. Someone offered three

:24:52. > :24:54.impeccably refurbished flats for the council, only to be told everyone

:24:55. > :25:00.that housing high-quality homes, which we know it's not true. This

:25:01. > :25:04.continuing disaster and lack of care and respect survivors is

:25:05. > :25:07.unacceptable. This comes from the culture at Kensington and Chelsea

:25:08. > :25:13.Council that needs to be addressed, and soon. The worse it is for the

:25:14. > :25:16.survivors every day. Will the government continued to let the

:25:17. > :25:23.council failed survivors in so many ways? This is fated whispers,

:25:24. > :25:28.Grenfell Tower Britain? I would like to turn to mental health. Many

:25:29. > :25:32.survivors are still in shock, cannot begin to recover until they bury

:25:33. > :25:37.their loved ones. Many will have to wait a very long time for that. Many

:25:38. > :25:42.are fragile indeed, I have huge concerns for mental health. I have

:25:43. > :25:47.seen people I know still in shock, not on any path to recovery. One I

:25:48. > :25:52.know was on the phone to her terrified best friend in the tower

:25:53. > :25:56.for over one hour debating to whether stay in the flat or leave,

:25:57. > :26:00.then the phone went dead. The surviving friend calls and texts

:26:01. > :26:05.every day. Even though she knows her friend is dead. Who is looking after

:26:06. > :26:11.her? Particularly concerned about those who may have mental health

:26:12. > :26:16.crises. We have had one threatened suicide, one attempted suicide.

:26:17. > :26:20.There maybe more. Many affected people will need urgent and

:26:21. > :26:23.intensive treatment some point. The minority party councillors in

:26:24. > :26:28.Kensington and Chelsea have been asking for increases in places of

:26:29. > :26:32.safety for people suffering crises. After a series of incidents where

:26:33. > :26:37.people with mental health issues or 30 mental health housing, had

:26:38. > :26:41.crises, and ended up in a police cell because there was nowhere else

:26:42. > :26:46.for them to go. This is why we hear that an entire wall the London

:26:47. > :26:50.Hospital, locked as there are not enough cash to keep it open,

:26:51. > :26:56.patients off-loaded into private mental health care facilities at a

:26:57. > :27:01.cost of nearly ?600 a day. Where is the logic, who is accountable for

:27:02. > :27:07.this? After four weeks we still witnessing a process which is

:27:08. > :27:11.reactive, where the Council and government are one step behind. We

:27:12. > :27:15.need a sensible plan in place. We need to review the closed ward,

:27:16. > :27:21.allocate funds to staff it. Please can we have a proper strategic plan,

:27:22. > :27:27.as we go forward for housing and all the other issues, because we are

:27:28. > :27:31.reacting daily? Looking to the future, a lot of people in groups

:27:32. > :27:36.are beginning to plan forward, many come to me, many well-meaning. They

:27:37. > :27:41.want to tell them how they went wrong, have they can better approach

:27:42. > :27:45.their service. With my background in architecture and planning, I have

:27:46. > :27:51.many ideas, some which I have been working on for years. I cannot

:27:52. > :27:55.possibly support, at a time when people feel so distrustful, any Caer

:27:56. > :28:00.top-down intervention, however experts well-meaning that may be. At

:28:01. > :28:03.any time, particularly a time like this, good planning starts with

:28:04. > :28:09.people whose lives will be changed by it. A blank sheet of paper from a

:28:10. > :28:15.good planning should end with improving the lives of those already

:28:16. > :28:20.living there. This state programme currently proposed in the council,

:28:21. > :28:24.and many councils of all political views, not for the benefit of

:28:25. > :28:29.existing tenants. We need a completely fresh approach.

:28:30. > :28:36.Overwriting this is a genuine and often misplaced, sometimes insulting

:28:37. > :28:39.attitude, by those in of powers and influence, belittling people. I have

:28:40. > :28:44.never believed that, that is why I was elected. You have heard about

:28:45. > :28:48.our volunteer groups and organisations, they did not spring

:28:49. > :28:52.up out of nowhere, always underappreciated, undervalued. We

:28:53. > :28:58.need to learn lessons from them, bring them into the future. What was

:28:59. > :29:02.so cruelly taken from our Grenfell Tower people must be returned. They

:29:03. > :29:07.do not wish to be penalised financially forever foreign actor

:29:08. > :29:14.they were not responsible for. They want their dignity back, somewhere

:29:15. > :29:18.decent to recover. You cannot bring never ceased back to life. They want

:29:19. > :29:22.a choice of where to bury their dead. This is not always been

:29:23. > :29:27.offered. This horrific event must be a game changing. We need a thorough

:29:28. > :29:31.review of approaches to state development. Funding of social

:29:32. > :29:37.housing. We need to listen to the people affected and a warnings and

:29:38. > :29:41.act upon their concerns with the transparency and honesty which has

:29:42. > :29:47.clearly been missing. Grenfell Tower people do not want your pity. They

:29:48. > :29:52.do not want charity. They want justice, and they want change. Our

:29:53. > :29:57.poets and artists will continue to shame us all with their insight and

:29:58. > :30:02.intelligence. Until we recognise that, and accept collaboration into

:30:03. > :30:11.the fundamental change that is so desperately needed. Welcome to your

:30:12. > :30:15.place. Can I say how humbling it is the follow on from my honourable

:30:16. > :30:20.friend from Kensington, and her powerful words. What a difference it

:30:21. > :30:25.makes to have a Labour MPs speaking for the voiceless, and those without

:30:26. > :30:30.power in that constituency after this tragic incident. It is clear to

:30:31. > :30:38.many of us who find ourselves unable to comprehend the shocking fire,

:30:39. > :30:41.that so perfectly captures ever deeper national, political and

:30:42. > :30:46.social crisis. The Grenfell Tower fire is the symbol of the systematic

:30:47. > :30:51.running down of institutions we all need. Inevitably as a systems begin

:30:52. > :30:55.to break down from it is the poor and vulnerable first in line to

:30:56. > :30:59.experience that failure. Madam Deputy Speaker we need high-quality

:31:00. > :31:03.journalism from a properly funded legal aid system that allows all

:31:04. > :31:08.very people to have their vital protection by the law. Really

:31:09. > :31:11.properly paid public sector workers, local government that has the

:31:12. > :31:13.resources and power to do what is needed, not just act as another

:31:14. > :31:22.stamp for Westminster. Of course, it is critical we focus

:31:23. > :31:26.on the detail of what went wrong at Grenfell today but I would like to

:31:27. > :31:29.make two short point arguing for wider action, the kind of action

:31:30. > :31:33.that never ends. The institutions with the critical role in preventing

:31:34. > :31:39.disasters and clearing up the mess when things go wrong do not exist by

:31:40. > :31:44.accident. If they are run down, then we get to the point where we, the

:31:45. > :31:48.lawmakers in this place, our daily exposing families and communities to

:31:49. > :31:53.an acceptable risk. When this happens, as it has four too long, we

:31:54. > :31:57.are culpable because we have pushed systems and people to the limit. I

:31:58. > :32:02.stand today with friends on the side of the Haas to say we will fight

:32:03. > :32:05.hard to end the relentless running down of multiple civic functions. No

:32:06. > :32:13.longer will they do this in our name. It looks to me as though the

:32:14. > :32:16.country is with us in our endeavour. Madam Deputy Speaker, it is clear

:32:17. > :32:19.that both local authorities and the Fire Service have been very heavily

:32:20. > :32:24.relied upon both before the tragedy of Grenfell and with the aftermath

:32:25. > :32:29.as it unfolded. So far in Norwich we only have a few buildings of

:32:30. > :32:33.concern, but that is a small and diminishing army of public sector

:32:34. > :32:37.and housing association workers doing their job stay in, day out

:32:38. > :32:42.with both diminishing resources and morale, they have had to deal with

:32:43. > :32:46.the fallout from Grenfell. Too often these workers have too little

:32:47. > :32:49.resources and power to regulate the private sector in the public

:32:50. > :32:54.interest. Of the six blocks currently being tested for from

:32:55. > :32:57.abroad cladding in Norwich, five are in the private sector. And what is

:32:58. > :33:02.being done to check privately owned student halls of residence? Can the

:33:03. > :33:06.Minister address the point that many are now privately owned and manage?

:33:07. > :33:10.How come the Government and universities ensure they are checked

:33:11. > :33:13.for flammable cladding and the highest safety standards apply? Can

:33:14. > :33:18.they confirmed that student halls are classed as other residential

:33:19. > :33:23.buildings and therefore subject to weaker requirements for sprinklers?

:33:24. > :33:38.If so, will the Government consider closing the loophole?

:33:39. > :33:42.On a similar note, parents rely on their children being safe in

:33:43. > :33:44.schools. We know the Government had planned to change the regulations on

:33:45. > :33:46.fire safety in schools, removing the expectation that most new school

:33:47. > :33:49.buildings would be fitted with sprinklers. On the basis that they

:33:50. > :33:51.do not need to be sprinkler protected to achieve a reasonable

:33:52. > :33:53.standard of light safety, the words of the Government. Since Grenfell,

:33:54. > :33:57.ministers have hinted that they will, rightly, be abandoned. Can

:33:58. > :33:59.they make it clear to the house that will happen?

:34:00. > :34:03.Schools in Norwich suffered particularly badly from Government

:34:04. > :34:07.cuts and threatened with the worst settlement in Norfolk under the

:34:08. > :34:11.proposed funding formula, but we are waiting to find out if and how that

:34:12. > :34:16.will be implemented. Will any central funding be made available

:34:17. > :34:20.for essential safety work so they do not face more unfunded costs from

:34:21. > :34:25.Government? Back to local authorities. They have

:34:26. > :34:30.been subject to a thousand unnatural shocks in funding and changes to

:34:31. > :34:34.their ways of working. To name one, the mandatory 1% rent reduction from

:34:35. > :34:38.the Government, which reduces Norwich City Council's ability to

:34:39. > :34:45.repair and improve its ageing housing stock by an average of ?7.4

:34:46. > :34:49.million a year. The reality of that mandatory rent reduction, less

:34:50. > :34:52.investment in council housing stock, risking council activities like the

:34:53. > :34:57.daily safety checks carried out on high-rise blocks. In Norwich we are

:34:58. > :35:02.fortunate to have a Labour run City Council but make sure those safety

:35:03. > :35:05.checks happen, but my counsel, like many local authorities, comes up

:35:06. > :35:12.against the physical limits of what it can do with its resources. Kurtz

:35:13. > :35:24.year after year by this Government. Madam Deputy Speaker, it is not just

:35:25. > :35:26.local authorities struggling to maintain safe standards. The Fire

:35:27. > :35:28.Services, the men and women we are so quick to applaud for their

:35:29. > :35:31.bravery, rightly so, have concerns. Full-time firefighters earn less

:35:32. > :35:38.than ?30,000 a year. It is welcome to see the 1% cap was not imposed on

:35:39. > :35:41.their new pay offer. But there is a catch. Firefighters are now

:35:42. > :35:46.concerned that given there has been no confirmation about how this will

:35:47. > :35:53.be funded, that the money will come from the service itself. Borrow from

:35:54. > :35:58.Peter to pay Paul is not improving anybody's safety. This Government

:35:59. > :36:04.must understand the ongoing funding cuts to institutions and those who

:36:05. > :36:07.worked so hard for them are critical parts of the Grenfell story.

:36:08. > :36:13.Reversing them is essential to prevent another tragedy.

:36:14. > :36:15.To make her maiden speech, Sarah Jones.

:36:16. > :36:21.Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am pleased to make my maiden speech

:36:22. > :36:24.in such a very important debate, I congratulate my honourable friends

:36:25. > :36:27.from Barnsley East, Lewisham and Kensington for their contributions

:36:28. > :36:31.already. I am deeply proud to have been

:36:32. > :36:38.elected as the first ever woman MP in Croydon. I want to pay tribute to

:36:39. > :36:43.my predecessor, Gavin Barwell, who served our town for seven years.

:36:44. > :36:47.Among the many good things that he did, his work to introduce Lillian's

:36:48. > :36:53.law following the tragic death of 14-year-old Lillian Groves in 2010

:36:54. > :36:57.means drivers can be prosecuted if caught exceeding new drug limits.

:36:58. > :37:01.Since the law was passed there have been over 13,000 convictions.

:37:02. > :37:07.This was a good thing that Gavin did, Madam Deputy Speaker. He is

:37:08. > :37:12.also an acclaimed author. His book was, I understand, much red among

:37:13. > :37:23.members opposite. How To Win A Marginal Seat. I can't wait for the

:37:24. > :37:26.sequel. I should also record my gratitude to the Prime Minister for

:37:27. > :37:32.giving me an early replay after my narrow defeat in 2015. I am so glad

:37:33. > :37:37.I was able to repay the favour by helping her with her own staffing

:37:38. > :37:45.problems. I want to pay tribute to my honourable friend the member for

:37:46. > :37:49.Swansea West, who was MP for Croydon Central for several years, and also

:37:50. > :37:52.the MP for Mole Valley who was once MP for Croydon. And my honourable

:37:53. > :37:57.friend for Croydon North is here, already a great champion for a time.

:37:58. > :38:00.I hope two will be better that one on these benches and that we can

:38:01. > :38:04.truly stand up for Croydon. I am privileged to have worked the

:38:05. > :38:09.two former members of this House, the late Mo Mowlam when she was a

:38:10. > :38:12.trailblazing Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, and as a civil servant

:38:13. > :38:21.Tessa Jowell when she was in charge of delivering the 2012 Olympics. In

:38:22. > :38:23.completely different ways they were both truly inspirational and I'm

:38:24. > :38:26.grateful to Tessa for her help during my recent campaign. I am so

:38:27. > :38:29.proud to be part of a record number of women in this House and to be

:38:30. > :38:35.part of the women's Parliamentary Labour Party, which makes up 45% of

:38:36. > :38:38.Labour MPs. Just one more and we will be there. With the growing

:38:39. > :38:42.number of women and men from ethnic minorities who are getting closer to

:38:43. > :38:46.looking like the country we represent. I think that is really

:38:47. > :38:50.significant for our democracy. Madam Deputy Speaker, Croydon is

:38:51. > :38:54.deeply special to me. I have lived here all my life, generations of my

:38:55. > :38:59.family were born and have died here. Most recently my father died on the

:39:00. > :39:11.11th of June this year, three days after the general election. He lived

:39:12. > :39:13.just long enough to see his daughter fulfil her goal and to be proved

:39:14. > :39:16.right about my honourable friend the member for Islington North. He is a

:39:17. > :39:19.big fan of the Leader of the Opposition. It is a good lesson to

:39:20. > :39:21.us all, listen to your dad! Croydon is exceptional, the greenest and

:39:22. > :39:24.largest London borough, its diversity is its strength. From the

:39:25. > :39:27.woodlands of Shirley to the tower blocks in the town centre, from the

:39:28. > :39:30.strong community of new Addington surrounded by fields to the

:39:31. > :39:36.Victorian terraces of South Norwood. The name of our town, most agree,

:39:37. > :39:39.derives from crocus Valley, where during the Roman period crocuses

:39:40. > :39:43.were grown to make saffron to be sold on the streets of London as

:39:44. > :39:47.medicine. In the heart of Croydon we are growing crocuses again to make

:39:48. > :39:50.saffron. Our great theatre the Fairfield Halls is being reborn

:39:51. > :39:54.through a multi-million pound makeover, art and culture here is at

:39:55. > :39:58.the cutting edge with artists from around the world literally painting

:39:59. > :40:01.our town with new artwork. Our technology seen as the

:40:02. > :40:05.fastest-growing in London and we have the largest number of young

:40:06. > :40:10.people. We are ambitious for Croydon and I know we will thrive. But there

:40:11. > :40:14.are two sides to every tale. Seven years of austerity has ripped

:40:15. > :40:19.through our community. Low pay, the horror that is the implementation of

:40:20. > :40:23.Universal Credit, cuts to disability benefits, high housing costs,

:40:24. > :40:26.rocketing homelessness, crippling local government cuts, an increase

:40:27. > :40:31.in knife crime, cuts to school funding and young people starting

:40:32. > :40:35.their lives with debt. We are letting people down, Madam Deputy

:40:36. > :40:40.Speaker, if we do not as a House and acknowledge the reality of the lives

:40:41. > :40:43.of those we are here to serve. Many in this House are in complete denial

:40:44. > :40:47.about the scale of the problems we face. We are letting people down

:40:48. > :40:51.more if we do not have the greatest energy and hunger for change act in

:40:52. > :40:57.every way we can to make the lives of those we represent better,

:40:58. > :41:01.richer, more secure. Grenfell Tower show just how extraordinary our

:41:02. > :41:05.emergency services can respond at a time of great crisis, but it also

:41:06. > :41:09.shows how badly we get things wrong. On the Saturday after the disaster I

:41:10. > :41:13.met a Croydon fireman called to fight the Grenfell place just days

:41:14. > :41:17.earlier. There were tears in both our eyes as he told me about the

:41:18. > :41:23.terrible things he had seen. He made me promise not to rest until we saw

:41:24. > :41:25.justice done. Madam Deputy Speaker, today is a House I hope we can

:41:26. > :41:45.realise that promise. It is clear we fail too many foot too

:41:46. > :41:48.long, the victims were speaking but we were not listening. We cannot

:41:49. > :41:49.make the same mistake again. The member for Wentworth internally

:41:50. > :41:51.suggested setting up an advisory panel to help build confidence and

:41:52. > :41:54.relationships with local residents and survivors. Shelter has said it

:41:55. > :41:56.is not fair to expect residents to rely on written submissions only and

:41:57. > :42:00.the current timeline is too short. This seems sensible. I wonder if we

:42:01. > :42:02.need to be brave enough to say we do not have all the answers. The whole

:42:03. > :42:07.point of listening is to listen and to then act. I would like is to be

:42:08. > :42:10.strong enough to do that with the survivors on the local community. I

:42:11. > :42:15.am proud that the Labour Croydon Council was the first to commit to

:42:16. > :42:19.retrofitting high tower blocks with sprinklers -- all our high tower

:42:20. > :42:22.blocks. I call on the Government to clarify whether they will fund this

:42:23. > :42:26.and the other changes we need to make and reverse the shocking cuts

:42:27. > :42:31.to local government we have seen. We cannot afford not to do this.

:42:32. > :42:35.We must view Grenfell in the wider context of a national housing

:42:36. > :42:41.crisis. Three figures tell the story. Right now 76,000 families

:42:42. > :42:46.live in temporary accommodation, the best part of 120,000 children. 20%

:42:47. > :42:51.of homes do not meet the Government decent homes standard, including

:42:52. > :42:55.fire safety, and we need to build 75,000 social rented homes a year,

:42:56. > :43:00.last year we build less than 7000. I spoke to thousands of people on

:43:01. > :43:04.the doorstep in the election. Of course there was nothing like the

:43:05. > :43:08.scale of the horrors of Grenfell but there were many experiences leading

:43:09. > :43:12.people to believe they had no voice. Having a voice is not about speaking

:43:13. > :43:16.out, it is about knowing you will be listened to and being sure that

:43:17. > :43:20.action will be taken to make a difference. Nowhere is that more

:43:21. > :43:24.important than in the response to the Grenfell Tower fire. I said it

:43:25. > :43:37.was my goal to be MP for Croydon Central, my ambition is not to be

:43:38. > :43:40.something something, to make a difference to the lives of the

:43:41. > :43:42.people I represent now. I don't underestimate the scale of that

:43:43. > :43:44.responsibility. Many young people voted for me, as they did in many

:43:45. > :43:46.other constituencies. Many voted for the very first time. They had

:43:47. > :43:49.perhaps never voted before because they felt politicians had nothing to

:43:50. > :43:54.offer. Now they have put their faith in democracy, in us, for the first

:43:55. > :43:58.time. We must not fail them. If the election taught as anything it is

:43:59. > :44:03.that we cannot take anyone for granted. As Croydon's Stormzy put so

:44:04. > :44:07.well in one of his songs, you're never too big for the blitz. When I

:44:08. > :44:19.am campaigning again in five years or even sooner, the true

:44:20. > :44:24.testimony will be that people tell me I listened, I heard what they

:44:25. > :44:27.said and I did my best to make a difference to their lives. I think

:44:28. > :44:30.that must be the test for us all on both sides of the House. Thank you.

:44:31. > :44:32.Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker, it is a particular honour to follow

:44:33. > :44:38.from three new maiden speeches, all made by three new female members. I

:44:39. > :44:43.have only made my maiden speech two weeks ago, I am speaking as a very

:44:44. > :44:48.experienced old-timer. What particularly resonated with me was

:44:49. > :44:52.what the member for Barnsley East said, people matter. That is very

:44:53. > :45:01.relevant to our debate today as well. Madam Deputy Speaker, one

:45:02. > :45:06.month from now this tragedy, it is no less painful for the victims and

:45:07. > :45:11.their families, no less fear and no less anger for failings of the

:45:12. > :45:16.political system. The disaster at Grenfell Tower left a huge scar not

:45:17. > :45:20.just in the local community of Kensington but across Britain. It

:45:21. > :45:24.has moved people deeply. Whether they have local connections or not.

:45:25. > :45:30.That has been reflected in the generosity shown by public

:45:31. > :45:34.donations. It is also exposed deep divisions and inequalities in our

:45:35. > :45:39.society, which we have ignored for far too long. This disaster should

:45:40. > :45:45.have been avoided. How is it possible that in a very wealthy Boro

:45:46. > :45:50.back -- like Kensington and Chelsea, dozens can burn to death in their

:45:51. > :45:54.own homes? We need to find out from the public inquiry exactly what

:45:55. > :45:59.happened and what mistakes were made. But reports that unsafe

:46:00. > :46:03.building materials were used, that they need to cut cost was put above

:46:04. > :46:09.tenants' safety and concerns raised by the residents were repeatedly

:46:10. > :46:14.ignored paint a picture that goes much deeper than this disaster, it

:46:15. > :46:17.goes to the heart of our political system and its failures. Trust

:46:18. > :46:21.between our local communities and the political system has been

:46:22. > :46:27.seriously eroded and has to be restored.

:46:28. > :46:36.Trust is an essential part of a healthy democracy. And a functioning

:46:37. > :46:41.society. In the work to restore lives affected by Grenfell Tower,

:46:42. > :46:46.everything is possible to rebuild that trust. That means genuinely

:46:47. > :46:50.listening to victims, families and the local community. Involving

:46:51. > :46:53.residents in the communities and decisions affecting their future.

:46:54. > :46:59.Taking all possible action to put things right. They must include an

:47:00. > :47:05.urgent increase in social housing provision across our country. This

:47:06. > :47:09.disaster was a result of a long long-term failure of successive

:47:10. > :47:14.governments to invest in social housing. Leaving house-building to

:47:15. > :47:23.the private sector has utterly failed. Led to a housing crisis

:47:24. > :47:30.driving vast inequality, pushing many families into homelessness

:47:31. > :47:33.must. This will continue to spiral out of control without action. We

:47:34. > :47:39.need widespread reform on the systems and structures. An immediate

:47:40. > :47:43.review of the building regulations to ensure they are up to date and

:47:44. > :47:49.appropriate, we cannot wait for the results of the public enquiry. We

:47:50. > :47:53.cannot have a repeat of what happened when a review of regulation

:47:54. > :47:58.was promised and not delivered. Lessons must be learned and

:47:59. > :48:03.implemented fast given the fire started in a fridge, there must be

:48:04. > :48:10.also reform on electrical safety. My colleagues in both houses have been

:48:11. > :48:14.fighting for the introduction of compulsory electrical safety checks

:48:15. > :48:19.in rented homes. The government has seen this as an unnecessary

:48:20. > :48:23.regulation. Now it is surely inexcusable not to make this simple

:48:24. > :48:29.change that has the potential to save lives. All residents, in

:48:30. > :48:35.whatever type of housing they are living have a right to live in homes

:48:36. > :48:41.that are safe, warm, and in clean and green neighbourhoods. Madam

:48:42. > :48:47.Deputy Speaker, this disaster as exposed huge weaknesses in our

:48:48. > :48:51.country, and undermined people's trust. We have a responsibility in