Seven organisations involved in the Grenfell Tower disaster face possible debarment from public contracts as the government accepted all recommendations of the public inquiry into the devastating fire and set out plans for “tough action” on the construction industry.
Measures will include the introduction of a single regulator for construction to tackle fragmentation in the system. Fire safety will be brought under one department, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The official fire safety guidance, known as Approved Document B (ADB), will be reviewed and revised, and the definition of “higher-risk building” in law will also be revised.
The Grenfell Tower inquiry phase two 1,700-page report, released on 4 September, contained 58 recommendations, of which the government accepted 49 in full and nine in principle , saying they required “further consideration” through consultations.
The 2017 fire killed 72 people, with cladding found to be the principal reason for the rapid spread.
Publishing the government response, the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy claimed 72 innocent lives in a disaster that should never have happened. The final report exposed in stark and devastating detail the shocking industry behaviour and wider failures that led to the fire, and the deep injustices endured by the bereaved, survivors and residents.
“We are acting on all of the inquiry’s findings, and today set out our full response, detailing the tough action we are taking to drive change and reform the system to ensure no community will ever have to face a tragedy like Grenfell again.
“That means greater accountability, stronger regulation and putting residents at the heart of decision-making. We must deliver the fundamental change required. We owe that to the Grenfell community, to the country and to the memory of those who lost their lives.”
The seven companies are: Arconic Architectural Products SAS; Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, which previously owned Celotex Limited; Exova (UK) Limited; Harley Facades Limited; Kingspan Insulation Limited; Rydon Maintenance Limited and Studio E Architects Limited.
In a written statement published on Wednesday, the Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, Georgia Gould, said the firms would be investigated under debarment powers in the Procurement Act 2023, which came into effect on Monday. “These investigations will establish whether the organisations have engaged in professional misconduct for the purposes of that act,” she said.
“The new act allows us to investigate suppliers and, if certain grounds are met, to add their names to a published and centrally managed debarment list, which must be taken into account by contracting authorities in awarding new contracts and undertaking new procurements.” .
Other measures announced include:
Consulting on a new college of fire and rescue
Legally requiring fire risk assessors to have their competence certified.
Improving the fire safety and evacuation of disabled and vulnerable residents in high-rise and higher-risk residential buildings,
In addition, the government has launched a construction products green paper for consultation, including consulting on measures to introduce liability sanctions and penalties, such as fines and imprisonment.
The government seeks to implement a legal duty of candour through a new Hillsborough law, compelling public authorities to disclose the truth, ensuring transparency in major incidents and holding to account those responsible for failures.
It also pledges stronger, clearer and enforceable legal rights for residents, making landlords responsible for acting on safety concerns, and empowering social housing residents to challenge landlords and demand safe, high-quality housing, by expanding the Four Million Homes training programme.
Rayner, who is also housing secretary, told MPs of manufacturing companies “including Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex, whose products were used to refurbish the tower. The report found that they acted with systemic dishonesty as they mis-sold and marketed them. Their disgraceful mercenary behaviour put profit before people and exploited the regulatory regime to evade accountability with fatal consequences.”
Grenfell Next of Kin, a group representing some of the bereaved, said it would be “paying close attention to the words and intentions” from government.
The shadow housing and communities secretary, Kevin Hollinrake, told MPs the “pace must quicken” in the criminal investigation into the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, as he called for “criminal charges where evidence allows”.
