Two medical examiners investigating previous fire victims, the London Fire Commissioner and the government’s chief fire adviser were among the experts who called on ministers to step up scrutiny of fire risk assessors during the fire. of the controversy of Brandon Lewis, the first minister of the government I give evidence. The investigation heard that ministers were called upon to tighten the rules on seven different occasions in the decade before the fire. Since then, it has emerged that the fire risk assessor hired by the Grenfell Tower owner to oversee the disastrous renovation was not qualified to say the investment complied with regulations. Carl Stokes made letters after his name to suggest professional records that either did not exist or did not exist. He erroneously concluded that the flammable investment had a “fire rating” in a move that a research expert called “professionally reckless.” Lewis, who was minister of fire safety from 2012 to 2014 and firefighter from July 2016 to June 2017, had been warned in writing about the competence of commercial fire risk assessors and how a lack of accreditation means “That in fact anyone can offer their services.” The investigation heard that a medical examiner investigating six deaths from the Lakanal House fire had warned ministers in 2013 to clarify uncertainty about the scope of inspections. In 2016, another medical examiner investigating the death of a firefighter, Stephen Hunt, found that inadequate fire risk assessments contributed significantly to his death. They told the government to ensure that fire risk assessors were properly trained and accredited. “Nevertheless, you remained satisfied that no intervention was needed,” said Andrew Kinnear QC, research consultant. “Yes,” Lewis said, adding: “We were always looking at how we could transfer power from the central government.” Kinnear told Lewis that the government had an “ideological presumption” against the regulation. “It was not just an ideological issue about decentralization, it was also about what practically made the difference,” Lewis said. Lord Pickles, the former secretary of the communities. Lord Barwell, the former Minister for Housing. Lord Wharton, former junior minister. and Steven Williams, a former junior Liberal Democrat minister, are also set to testify. They face questions about allegations that Conservative-led governments have given priority to a “bureaucratic fire” over security. In 2012, then-Prime Minister David Cameron decided to “permanently eradicate the culture of health and safety.” The investigation has already heard from a community and local government official, Louise Upton, that there was a “political predisposition against further legislative intervention in this area”. Lewis agreed with the concept “we would look too [whether] you require a law to achieve what you want to achieve “. But he added: “We have had a strong enough history; to be very, very serious about the work we have done to ensure fire safety.” In July 2013, government officials submitted a proposal for a national fire safety regulator, but an internal note stated that Lewis was “unwilling.” He told the inquiry that he did not want to “create another level of regulation that offers nothing substantial”. The ministers wanted a “self-governing sector”, a government note showed. He warned: “The government’s policy of backing down to allow the sector to cover the area that has been evacuated by the government is dangerous.” The risks included a threat to the government’s reputation for protecting public safety. The search for the fire of June 14, 2017, which claimed the lives of 72, continues.
