Building and Fire Safety: Ministerial Working Group: terms of reference

Overview

A Ministerial Working Group (‘the MWG’) on Building and Fire Safety was established following the Grenfell Tower fire in London, on 14 June 2017.

The decision to establish the group was also informed by the collapse of a wall at an Edinburgh school in 2016 and the recommendations contained in the subsequent Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Construction of Edinburgh Schools chaired by Professor John Cole.

Purpose and remit of the group

The Ministerial Working Group’s remit is to provide strategic level oversight and direction in assessing the effectiveness of reviews of the building and fire safety regulatory frameworks. The programmes of work overseen and co-ordinated by the MWG will help to ensure that people are safe in Scotland's buildings.

The purpose of the MWG is to provide an opportunity for ministers to meet together to consider progress on work programmes in connection with review of the building and fire safety regulatory framework and take advice from relevant officials and partner organisations. Meetings will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing.  

The membership of the MWG will include:

• Minister for Public Finance 
• Minister for Victims and Community Safety
• other ministers as may be appropriate.

The MWG will also include officials from business areas including those with responsibility for building standards, community safety, cladding remediation, housing standards, health infrastructure, schools' infrastructure and other relevant policy areas as required.

Partner organisations invited to attend meetings include the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, His Majesty’s Fire Safety Inspectorate in Scotland, the National Health Service and local authorities (represented by the Convention on Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA). Membership of the group, including other external organisations, may be expanded subject to agreement of ministers and may include inviting particular individuals or organisations for specific agenda items. 

Wider engagement may include liaison with the Cross Sector Building Safety Forum, the Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) and the Building Safety Regulator as well as liaison with the UK and devolved Governments.

Ministers may also determine whether sub-groups of the main MWG should be established, on a time limited basis, tasked with consideration of specific issues as agreed by ministers. 

Group remit and responsibilities

Aims and objectives

• to provide oversight and direction on matters of building and fire safety, including but not limited to the following:
  • the cladding remediation programme and other issues relating to cladding as may arise
  • progress on implementing the recommendations arising from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
  • progress of the Futures Board, which is taking forward the actions on improving compliance with building standards
  • progress on implementing the Cameron House Hotel fire fatal accident inquiry recommendations for the Scottish Government
  • fire risk assessor competence, qualification and certification
  • consideration of current and emerging building safety issues
  • developments elsewhere in the UK including those which might be identified by the Building Safety Regulator in England
• to work collaboratively with relevant partner organisations and networks to identify strategies and approaches to addressing building and fire safety issues
• to discuss and advise on the development and revision of legislation, regulation and guidance as may from time to time be required

MWG meetings

Meetings will normally be hosted virtually or in hybrid form. Meetings will be held quarterly per year although this may be varied on direction from ministers and will be periodically reviewed. Officials (and stakeholders) may as necessary meet separately as part of the wider operation of the MWG.  

Officials from building standards will provide secretariat services to the MWG to include the setting up of meetings in agreement with ministers, proposing the agenda to ministers, preparing meeting papers and meeting notes. In addition to Scottish Government participants, partner organisation representatives may also be invited to provide meeting papers or updates.

Meeting notes will be published, once approved, on the MWG webpages.

Members

See the group's members.

September 2025