The Policy Team Newsletter - April 2022

April with the CIOB Policy Team
 

Welcome to this edition of CIOB’s policy team newsletter.

This edition includes an overview of the proposals for Part Z building regulations, a rundown of the Building Safety Bill’s third reading and report stage, an introduction to CIOB’s Northern Ireland Manifesto as well as a catch up on the consultation responses the policy and public affairs team has issued so far in 2022.

We would love to hear from you, so please do get in touch at [email protected].

One thing you need to do...Sign up to Attend our Safer Buildings Conference

CIOB members will receive a discount to attend its Safer Buildings UK conference on 26 May 2022. The conference aims to raise awareness of the culture change needed to ensure buildings are safe for those who occupy them.

The conference will bring together perspectives on the new regulatory system that will govern the design, construction, and occupation of higher-risk buildings.

Delegates will hear from Government ministers and industry experts on the progress being made on the Building Safety Bill as well as the work that is ongoing to raise levels of competency across the industry and increase resident engagement.    

Speakers include Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, Minister of State (for Building Safety and Fire), Dame Judith Hackitt DBE, author of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and Peter Baker, Chief Inspector of Buildings.

The full day conference (09:00 – 17:30) takes place in London on 26 May 2022.

For further information, and to register, please click here.

CIOB supports proposals for a 'Part Z' of the UK Building Regulations 2010

CIOB has confirmed its support for a proposed amendment to the UK Building Regulations 2010 to create an Approved Document Z requiring the assessment of whole life carbon emissions, and limiting of embodied carbon emissions, for all major building projects.

The proposal introduces mandatory assessments ahead of setting carbon limits, giving time to converge on robust yet ambitious targets.

The ‘Part Z’ amendment has been drafted by industry sustainability experts and builds off existing industry guidance, providing policymakers with a quick solution to tackling built environment industry emissions. By setting limits, rather than setting specific requirements on individual elements, the flexibility to design the most appropriate solution for each brief is retained, but now with resource use given an equal footing with cost, quality and time.

Caroline Gumble, Chief Executive Officer at CIOB, said on the proposal: “Sustainability and the push to achieve net zero have, quite rightly, taken their place as priorities in construction.

“CIOB is supportive of regulatory moves which enable a focus on embodied carbon, not just operational carbon emissions, and add weight to its consideration as part of the construction and development process. Sustainability is already something which informs much of our work - and will for years to come - and we have been clear to our members that opportunities to take a more environment-centred approach, combined with practical measures and clarity in legislative requirements, should be welcomed. The industry needs to walk the walk on minimising climate change, not just talk the talk, and we expect CIOB members to update their knowledge through CPD and understand how they can make a meaningful positive contribution to achieving net zero.”

To find out more about ‘Part Z’, check out the proposal here: www.part-z.uk.

Building Safety Bill House of Lords Report Stage and Third Reading

As the Building Safety Bill closes in on its estimated date for Royal Assent in Q3 2022, activity has ramped up from both Government, who are seeking to change aspects of the Bill to coincide with data and evidence received during the committee stage, as well as from MPs and Peers who are looking to influence the Bill prior to it becoming legislation.

With that in mind, the policy and public affairs team felt that it would be pertinent to provide an update of where the Bill is and what changes have been made since the recent House of Lords report stage that took place on the week commencing 28 March 2022.  

To help you understand what was decided on during both the report stage and third reading we have listed some of the most impactful amendments that were either added to the Bill or defeated in the House of Lords chamber.

You can read the analysis of the third reading and report stage here.

CIOB's Northern Ireland Manifesto

Ahead of the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election on 5 May 2022, CIOB has published a manifesto addressing what we believe should be the priorities for the next Northern Ireland Assembly.

Our manifesto, which has been devolved in collaboration with the Belfast Hub, calls for a commitment to adopt a Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill in Northern Ireland, which can be modelled off the Welsh Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (2015). The Act in Wales, which is the first of its kind, has been attracting global attention because it looks to combat the short-termism inherent in modern democracies. Adopting such a Bill in Northern Ireland will ensure that policy is joined up and works for the long-term, particularly when it comes to the built environment.

In order to do this, we have focused on four core themes:  

• A stable policy environment to encourage quality and long-term thinking
• Educatio
• Net zero
• Procurement

Under these core themes, we have detailed several policy recommendations to better utilise the construction industry and wider-built environment to help Northern Ireland’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Our manifesto, which is accessible here, has been issued to prospective candidates in Northern Ireland and Joseph Kilroy, CIOB Policy & Public Affairs Manager for Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will be following up over the coming weeks.

We are keen for members to get involved in promoting the manifesto and to assist, we have built a formal campaign page, which includes a link to the manifesto, draft letters and social media materials as well as analysis of each of the main political parties’ manifestos (please note not all parties have released formal manifestos). This can be viewed here.

Should you have any enquiries, please contact Joseph Kilroy on [email protected].

Check out our Northern Ireland campaign page and manifesto here.

National Overview - Ireland and Northern Ireland

• CIOB invited to join Aware Northern Ireland Steering Group

Following CIOB Ireland’s representation for the construction sector on the ‘Mental Health Promotion and Intervention in Occupational Settings’ (MENTUP) project, CIOB Norther Ireland has been invited to join the steering group for Aware NI’s project to develop a mental health toolkit for stakeholders in the construction industry.

Separately, Daisie Rees-Evans, CIOB Policy and Public Affairs Officer for the Midlands, featured on Fix Radio’s Clive Holland Show on 6 April 2022 to discuss mental health in construction, Daisie’s segment can be found from 24:55 on the broadcast here.

• Northern Ireland Housing Executive links up with CIOB Northern Ireland Hub

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive joined the most recent Northern Ireland Hub Committee for a knowledge exchange session on a range of topics including direct delivery of public housing; skills requirements to roll out Northern Ireland’s retrofitting plans; and role of professional bodies in upskilling Local Authorities. We will keep subscribers informed with future engagement opportunities, both in England and the devolved regions.

Catch Up with CIOB's 2022 Consultation Responses

So far 2022 has been a busy year for the policy and public affairs team as we have sought to promote excellence in the built environment, notably through our engagement on the Building Safety Bill, the launch of our Diversity & Inclusivity Charter and broader engagement in the devolved regions, such as our new Northern Ireland manifesto.

Alongside this we have submitted responses to numerous Government consultations and inquiries both within Westminster and the devolved administrations. To bring you up to speed we have provided details of the two consultations that we have responded to so far this year:

• In March 2022, Jocelyne Fleming, CIOB Policy and Public Affairs Officer for Scotland responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on proposed National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4). NPF4 will set out the Government’s priorities and policies for the planning system through to 2045. CIOB’s response to the consultation covers sustainability, land-use policy, quality, and equality, diversity and inclusion.

You can read our full response here and our explanatory blog here.

• Also, in March 2022, Daisie Rees-Evans, CIOB Policy and Public Affairs Officer for the Midlands responded to the Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit’s consultation on Disability Workforce Reporting. The purpose of the consultation was to explore how best to increase transparency and reporting practices that support the cultural changes required to build a more inclusive society. This consultation is an important step in ensuring UK Government have the best evidence to inform their approach as they seek to ensure inclusive workplaces, increase opportunities for disabled people and tackle the disability employment gap.  

You can read our full response to this consultation here.

• In April 2022, David Kirby, CIOB Policy and Public Affairs Officer for Wales responded to the Senedd’s Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee’s inquiry into the Cost of Living. The inquiry asks questions about how the current crisis is affecting economy and trade in Wales, and its wider effect in rural areas. Our response covers the subsequent negative effect of the crisis for rural domestic sustainability, as well as current and future retrofit schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).

You can read our full response to the Committee’s inquiry here.

We welcome input from members on our responses to Government consultations and inquiries and we regularly advertise these through the consultation page on our website as well as Hub meetings. Should you wish to be involved or kept up to date, please contact [email protected].  

Coming up in May

May is an interesting time in each year for those who work in and around Westminster as we all eagerly anticipate the annual Queens Speech. Set to take place on 10 May, the Queen’s Speech will set out the policy priorities for the coming year at the State Opening of Parliament and will likely guide the legislative agenda, barring any major events that influence the procedures of parliament.

In terms of what could come out of the Queen’s Speech, many spectators are suggesting that the speech will be used as a final nail in the coffin for the proposed reforms to the planning system for the time being as the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP, looks to create a better sense of unity within the Conservative Party. Alongside this, the speech could be used as a platform to launch the much-anticipated Financial Services Bill that will include a greater level of regulatory reform to the system since the UK left the EU regulatory system. This Bill could also include a reform of the insurance sector and crucially indemnity insurance which has had significant impact on the built environment over the years. The speech is also expected to include more legislative details on the proposed levelling up agenda, which is still lacking detail on implementation.  

Also coming up in May we anticipate there will be more progress on the Building Safety Bill. Throughout the early stages of 2022 there has been much progress made on the Bill in both the House of Commons and House of Lords. However, we are now in the final stages before it gains Royal Assent. This means that the Bill will likely be batted back between the two chambers as Peers and MPs consider amendments made in each house to finalise the wording of the Bill.

Finally, in May we have CIOB’s Safer Buildings Conference. This event will be crucial to providing an understanding of the complexities of the Building Safety Bill prior to its Royal Assent so please do sign up to attend through the link here.

If you made it this far...Register to Attend the CYBERUK 2022 Security Event

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is hosting CYBERUK 2022, the UK Government’s flagship cyber security event, in ICC Wales, Newport on 10-11 May 2022.

Held over two days, CYBERUK 2022 will be attended by more than 1,500 delegates, integrating cyber security leaders with technical professionals, strengthening the cyber security community. It will provide a key opportunity for the whole cyber security community to reconnect, discuss business needs and review the changing threat landscape. 

Separately, CIOB have also partnered with the NCSC to release a free guidance document to help small-to-medium sized construction businesses protect themselves from cyber-attacks.

• You can view the guidance document here.
• If you are interested in registering for CYBERUK 2022, click here.

Staying in Touch

Thank you for reading this month’s update from the CIOB policy team. We will be back in your inbox next month with more information about what the team is up to, what is going on in Parliament and built environment news to look out for.

All the best,  

The CIOB policy team