I am today informing the House of four proposed changes to the indemnity the Government provides for the joint inspection team (JIT). The JIT currently provides support and advice for local authorities on the enforcement process under the Housing Act 2004 against private sector, high-rise residential buildings with known cladding issues. Its work includes supporting LAs with inspecting buildings, serving enforcement notices, and prosecuting landlords that do not comply with the notices.
We are proposing expanding the scope of the indemnity so that the JIT can:
Support enforcement against medium-rise buildings;
Support enforcement against social housing providers;
Support LAs to use new enforcement powers under the Building Safety Act 2022;
Support enforcement against buildings without requiring advance evidence of an external wall defect.
I am laying a departmental minute providing further details of the change to the contingent liability. More details on the JIT were previously set out in statements and associated departmental minutes of 11 December 2018, HCWS1169; 25 June 2019, HCWS16541; and 11 March 2021, HCWS8421.
[HCWS899]