John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, responding to the Government announcement of an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, said:

“It has taken more than six weeks since the Grenfell Tower fire for the Government to release test results of just 82 of the 4000 tower blocks around the country. Landlords still can’t get other types of cladding tested and Government ministers still can’t say how many high-rise blocks are unsafe. 

“The Government’s testing programme is confused and too slow.

“The long-awaited review of buildings regulations and fire safety is welcome but long overdue, as Ministers promised this four years ago after the last fatal high-rise fires. 

“The Government must also now expand the testing programme, publish results in full so that residents and landlords know whether or not their buildings are safe and stand by their earlier promise to help fund the costs of any necessary work.”

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