THE Co. Cavan cladding and insulation manufacturers Kingspan are on one of the seven
firms are among those set to be investigated over the Grenfell fire in 2017.
The conflagration in the west London tower block killed 72 people. An inquiry found all their deaths were avoidable.
In all, seven organisations will be investigated and could face a ban from all public building work in Britain and Northern Ireland
“The bereaved and the survivors and members of the Grenfell community are still waiting for the justice they need and deserve, and justice must be done,” Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, in a speech in the House of Commons, giving the government’s response to the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry published in September of last year.
Rayner said three of the organisations set to be investigated – manufacturing companies Kingspan, Arconic, and Celotex – were found by the inquiry to have acted with “systemic dishonesty” which contributed to the disaster.
“Their disgraceful, mercenary behaviour put profit before people and exploited the regulatory regime to evade accountability with fatal consequences.”
She also said the organisations that failed “included the government and regulators”.
The full list of seven companies set to be investigated for professional misconduct is:
Kingspan Insulation Limited – insulation
Arconic Architectural Products SAS – made cladding
Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited – in relation to its then ownership of insulation firm Celotex Limited
Exova (UK) Limited – carried out fire risk safety assessments
Harley Facades Limited – installed cladding
Rydon Maintenance Limited – main project contractor
Studio E Architects Limited – architects
They will be investigated using powers under the Procurement Act passed in 2023 and which has now come into effect. In a written statemen the Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, Georgia Gould, said the firms would be investigated under debarment powers of the act. “These investigations will establish whether the organisations have engaged in professional misconduct for the purposes of that act,” she said.
Kingspan was founded in 1965, when Eugene Murtagh began a small family business in Cavan. Over the years the company expanded its product offerings, becoming a leading provider of insulation and building products. Its CEO today is Gene Murtagh.
Mercedes ended its Formula 1 sponsorship deal with Kingspan in 2021. A statement from Mercedes at the time said: “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Kingspan today announced that they have mutually agreed to end their partnership.”
Kingspan sponsorship with Ulster Ruby — their home ground is the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, aka Ravenshill Stadium — will end in June 2025. The stadium has been the target of sporadic graffiti attacks.