Speeches by Caliskan.

“I thank the panel for their contributions and answers.”

“An extra £300,000 to avoid organisations having to use spreadsheets is quite surprising, given it should have been part of the original scope.”

“Finally, obviously hindsight is a wonderful thing. You have helpfully outlined why the decision to go with PwC from the Department’s perspective was the right one at the time. As the scope widened, and it was not much of an iterative process, you increased the contractual spend, and we are where we are. Do you think it…”

“I ask if you are comfortable with that additional cost because, when the loan management system was launched in June 2024, it did not go well. Borrowers, for example, were still reporting that they were not able to log on to the platform. The Arts Council reported that the loan management system did not provide certain…”

“You are comfortable with the additional £1 million it cost?”

“So, since June 2024, there have been no further improvements?”

“I ask that because the Report says that as of the start of December ’24, that work is yet to be agreed.”

“On Mr Betts’ point, you went with PwC knowing that they are consultants and are not experts in this field. I understand the point that, as things progress, as senior officials you may want the scope of the work to widen. But is it not reasonable that you could have anticipated that the scope of that work would widen? T…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. The families and young people in Barking and Dagenham are not short of aspiration or willingness to work hard, but the lack of opportunities means that a staggering 46% of 19-year-olds there lack qualifications, the second worst statistic in London. The sta…”

“That requires both parties to engage in the process and accept the final view, doesn’t it? The representations I have had from residents are that it is not working. That is why we have years and years of residents sat in properties that are unsafe, with developers and freeholders passing the buck. This is a genuine que…”

“Yes, but they are the two largest spends. Thank you very much, Chair. With your permission, I have to go. And thank you to the Committee members.”

“Is it therefore reasonable for Committee members to conclude that when local authorities are deciding whether they do work and whether they complete remediation works, they are therefore having to cut back on their commitments on new homes being built?”

“I have to be in two places and do both things—I have a meeting with the Minister, so I really am torn—but I would, with the Chair’s permission, like to build on Mr Betts's point around the HRA accounts of local authorities. I take the point that it is a policy decision that is pending for Ministers around spend, and no…”

“It is a niche part of the overall picture, but everyone will appreciate that as well as having to live in a property that is unsafe, there are people who cannot sell their properties or rent them out, their mortgages are at risk, and now they are being hit with insurance that is through the roof. It is really destroyin…”

“Can I add something before you come in, Ben? Of course, the way that insurance companies provide a price is based on risk, and there will be some examples where insurance companies are going beyond that initial risk assessment and are just trying to get as much money as they can. It is also the case that as long as the…”

“I would suggest that that is not being utilised. There are many examples of developers still being granted permission to build even though they are responsible for remediation works that are not being completed. I want to touch on insurance. I think there is some work under way with the BSI, which officials have alread…”

“Can I take the opportunity to say thank you to Giles for his efforts, along with others, on campaigning? I represent the Barking constituency and your description of what leaseholders or residents in all sorts of tenure are having to experience is very accurate, particularly when it comes to remediation work. There is …”

“No, that was a good reminder; I should have declared earlier that I am a vice-president of the Local Government Association, having been a local authority leader for a number of years. I want to discuss the lag in remediation works that are under way in some areas. Although there is a regulatory challenge and there may…”

“I will not go into examples, but people living in unsafe properties are unlikely to not let you into a building. I am yet to come across a resident who says, “My building’s unsafe, and I can’t sleep at night, but I am not taking the day off work to let you in.” In most cases, people allow access.”

“You will understand that the reason I ask the question and probe is that in recent years we have had huge tragedy, with people dying in blocks that were not fit to live in, and—it is well-documented now—we still have people living in high-rise and mid-rise blocks who are at risk in terms of fire safety and tell us, as …”