Yesterday, Thursday 9 July, Samantha Dixon MP, Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy, published a Ministerial Statement in Parliament, setting out the next phase of building safety developments in England.

The Government restated their commitment to making sure there is an effective, proportionate building safety regime in place, that protects residents, addresses unsafe buildings, supports responsible development and gives people confidence that their homes are safe.

The reforms announced aim to improve how the regime operates in practice while maintaining high standards of safety, and include the following:

• The Government published its response to the Single Construction Regulator consultation and is bringing forward primary legislation to establish the regulator, using the Building Safety Regulator as its foundation.

APS submitted a response to this consultation, and we will be reviewing the response in detail and how our members will be impacted. APS and its Fellows are also engaging with the MHCLG Call for Evidence, which will support the development of a broader strategy for the built environment workforce. The Single Construction Regulator is expected to play a key role in the supervision of the built environment workforce. Members can still feed into this process, find out more about participating in the APS response here.

Proportionality of the HRB Regime

• The Government also published responses to the consultations on re-categorising work in existing higher-risk buildings and targeted dispensations for telecommunications work.

APS, with support from our Fellows, submitted a response to the re-categorisation consultation, so we will be keen to review the Government response in detail.

• Alongside the above measures on proportionality, the Government will launch a new consultation on the emergency repairs route.
• The BSR will introduce a revised, risk-based approach to Building Assessment Certificates, with updated processes, prioritisation and guidance. Core duties for dutyholders will not change; however, accountable persons will still be required to manage buildings effectively and protect residents from fire spread and structural failure.

Cladding remediation

• Prioritise new Cladding Safety Scheme applications based on risk to life, rather than building height alone.
• Launch targeted funding for unsafe cladding remediation on a small number of multi-occupancy residential buildings under 11 metres in England. This will be delivered through an extension of the Cladding Safety Scheme, administered by Homes England, with applications expected to open in August.
• From autumn 2026 the National Remediation Database, delivered by Homes England, will provide a single view of remediation activity and improve oversight and information sharing.

Insurance

• The Government published the findings of the Remediation Programme Insurance Survey and commissioned the FCA, in collaboration with MHCLG and the Treasury, to carry out a focused review of the multi-occupancy buildings insurance market.
• The FCA, working with the Association of British Insurers and MHCLG, will assess the effectiveness of the Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility in increasing market capacity and reducing premiums.

The Building Safety Minister said that, taken together, this package of measures ensures the building safety framework remains focused on proportionate management of risk to be effective in operation and firmly centred on protecting residents.

The full statement can be found here.