The government has announced that it will launch a new insurance scheme in September that will “enable the sale of flats in thousands of high-rise buildings.”

The insurance scheme, created by The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD), will mean there is a government-backed professional indemnity insurance scheme for EWS1 assessments.

The project lead in GAD is actuary Jacqui Draper.

She said: “This was a complex and significant piece of work from GAD. We have estimated that claim costs will be £100 million, although there is no theoretical cap on the total size of claims that could be made.

“We also advised DLUHC on the level of premiums needed to recoup the expected claims and operating costs.”

The government says it has “entered into commercial arrangements with a selected insurer” who will be administering insurance policies to qualified professionals.