My Lords, I very much support Amendment 3, proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Stunell. My own amendment in this group is very specific. It is about ensuring that relevant organisations are properly consulted and that, after consultation, a report on the findings is laid before Parliament. I hope that the Minister will be specific about consultation on changes made by the Bill to the fire safety order, because we must go much further than the National Fire Chiefs Council. I am looking for commitments to consult local authorities, trade unions, including the FBU, and representatives of tenants and residents.
I noted the point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, in respect of my amendment, and refer her to (e), which adds
“any other bodies deemed relevant”.
The point of my amendment was to highlight that certain organisations must be consulted, along with any others that the Secretary of State is minded to.
The amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Stunell, is particularly appealing in respect of the requirements set out his proposed new subsection (5)(b) and (c). As the noble Lord set out, the potential implications of the amended fire order for individuals and organisations are huge.
We obviously support the intentions of this Bill very much, but one of our concerns is the question of who will be doing all this work. What will be the
qualification requirements and levels? There is no quick fix to that. I am sure that I and other noble Lords do not wish to see a race to the bottom, with people who have very limited skills being authorised to undertake assessments and inspections, because that is a route to disaster and no lessons will have been learned. We need properly skilled, properly qualified people undertaking this work. There will be new obligations, and there must be a process, a route to achieving them, without cutting corners. Proposed subsection (5)(b) in the noble Lord’s amendment sets us off in the right direction.
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Equally important is proposed subsection (5)(c) in the amendment. We must understand the cost implications and who will be responsible for those costs. As I have said many times, far too often the Government place additional obligations on local authorities but then provide inadequate resources for them to deliver. This problem is potentially very acute here, because undoubtedly huge financial pressures are now biting, incomes have been reduced and pressures have increased. We must understand the costs. The point on consultation here is most welcome; my own amendment was more specific.
My noble friend Lady Warwick of Undercliffe highlighted the work being done by housing associations to keep residents safe. We should pay tribute to the work of the National Housing Federation and all housing associations. In my own work as chair of the Heart of Medway housing association, we are all clear that the safety of our residents is paramount and is the focus of all our work, ensuring that buildings are safe and that the required checks are carried out. I have been particularly proud to be the chair of the association during the pandemic, because of how staff have worked to make sure that people are safe.
I look forward to the Minister’s response to these amendments, as they both raise important issues which the Government must address.