IET comments on Government cladding announcement

In response to Michael Gove’s announcement to make industry pay for the cladding crisis, Ralph Elliott-King, Chair of the IET’s Engineering Safety Policy Panel, said:

“Despite the announcement to make developers accountable for unsafe cladding, it is hard to see how leaseholders will receive help within a reasonable timeframe.

The issue of fire safety also goes beyond cladding removal e.g., wooden balconies, fire sprinklers, fire doors – and those in buildings under 11m are not included. This still leaves tenants with significant bills to pay.

Until firms in the built sector understand they will face swift justice and severe financial consequences when they fail to meet building safety standards, we will continue to fall far short of the Grenfell legacy that demands to see compliance rise.”

--ENDS--

Notes to editors:

About the IET

• We inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community to engineer a better world.
• We are a diverse home for engineering and technology intelligence throughout the world. This breadth and depth means we are uniquely placed to help the sector progress society.
• We want to build the profile of engineering and technology to change outdated perceptions and tackle the skills gap. This includes encouraging more women to become engineers and growing the number of engineering apprentices.
• Interview opportunities are available with our spokespeople from a range of engineering and technology disciplines including cyber-security, energy, engineering skills, innovation, manufacturing, technology, transport and diversity in engineering.
• For more information, visit www.theiet.org
• Follow the IET on Twitter.

Media enquiries to

Rebecca Gillick
Senior Communications Executive
E: rgillick@theiet.org