Full transcription of Alok Sharma letter (as requested)

As requested by several posters, here is a full transcription of the letter I received: Dear Mr Tyson I am in receipt of your petition which has been signed by more than 80,000 people calling for the implementation of the Coroners findings from the 2013 Lakanal House Coroners report. The tragic events at Grenfell Tower have shocked us all. Immediate action is already underway to ensure the safety of residents in similar buildings. But it is also clear that we need to understand how current building regulations and fire safety works in order to make them as effective as possible in the future. That is why we have commissioned a forward-looking independent review, to be led by Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair of EEF, the Manufacturers' Organisation, which will look at current building regulations and fire safety with a particular focus on high rise residential buildings. It will report jointly to the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and the Home Secretary Amber Rudd. It will examine: - the regulatory system around the design, construction and on-going management of buildings in relation to fire safety - related compliance and enforcement issues - international regulation and experience in this area In relation to the specific recommendations in the Lakanal House Coroners report, updated guidance on Fire Safety in Purpose Built Flats was developed by DCLG and the LGA following the Lakanal house fire of 2009 and published in Summer 2011. This provided detailed advice on "Stay Put" and "get out and stay out" policies, and clear guidance on undertaking Fire Risk Assessments. The Coroner also recommended that DCLG encourages providers of housing in high rise residential buildings containing multiple domestic premises to consider the retro-fitting of sprinkler systems. The Department had already written to social landlords in April 2010 encouraging just such action. DCLG also committed to revising guidance in Approved Document B (Fire Safety) of the Buildings Regulations with a view to publishing simplified guidance in 2016/17, and that work was underway at the time of the events at Grenfell. This will be considered in light of the wider Building Regulations and Fire Safety review. I can assure you that we are committed to understanding what is necessary to ensure that a tragedy such as Grenfell Tower never happens again. Kind regards, Alok Sharma MP