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Michael Gove has called on the boss of Kingspan to meet his officials to discuss a “comprehensive package of financial support” to tackle the building safety crisis.
In a letter made public yesterday, the housing secretary said he wants the Ireland-based insulation manufacturer to propose how it it would “scope, identify and pay for remediation works”.
Mr Gove wrote to Kingspan after The Observer reported how the firm would pay for remediation where its K15 product had been used inappropriately on a high-rise building.
The housing secretary branded it a “positive step”.
But he added: “I sincerely hope it is a first step only, in what should be a comprehensive package of financial support from Kingspan and other construction product manufacturers.”
Mr Gove said he hopes Kingspan’s “record” trading profit of £382.8m would “help fund this commitment”.
So far, the government has been unsuccessful in getting product manufacturers to fund post-Grenfell remediation works, in contrast to getting developers to commit to fix buildings.
Kingspan’s K15 product made up around 5% of the insulation layer of the cladding system on Grenfell Tower, according to the company.
The firm said it did not supply or recommend K15 for use the block and that it was used without its knowledge.
However, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry exposed shocking evidence about the firm’s testing and certification of the insulation in the years before the blaze.
In his letter to Kingspan boss Gene Murtagh, Mr Gove said he was “appalled by the evidence heard by the inquiry about the reckless and deceptive behaviour within your company”.
Last year, Kingspan was ordered to halt sales of K15 after tests, which saw it fail to obtain its advertised fire safety grade, triggered intervention from the government’s product safety watchdog.
In late 2021, a sponsorship deal Kingspan signed with the Mercedes Formula One team collapsed after it was criticised by survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire.
In response to Mr Gove’s letter, Kingspan said its products are “safe and K15 insulation is safe when installed correctly in appropriate external wall systems”.
It pointed to recent BSI guidance (PAS 9980), which it said “supports the retention of K15 in appropriate circumstances”.
The firm said it was committed to paying its share of remediation costs “where we have responsibility for the inappropriate use of K15 in a high-rise residential building, and its safe retention cannot be supported by testing”.
It added that it would “contribute to an appropriate joint government and industry-wide funding mechanism such as an industry levy, that is equitable and shared across the entire construction industry, to support the wider fire safety issues on buildings where those responsible can’t or won’t pay”.
The statement added: “We are also committed to constructive dialogue and welcome further engagement with our trade associations and the department.”
Update: at 10.03am, 30.3.2023
This story was updated to include a comment from Kingspan.
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