Brian Martin, the head of technical policy for building regulation, told the public inquiry that he found it hard to express how sorry he was as he could have potentially prevented the Grenfell Tower fire on a number of occasions.
But Martin also pointed to government policies deregulating the industry that left him as "a single point of failure" in an under-resourced department.
He attacked the policy of several governments which pushed for the deregulation of safety in the building industry.
From 2010 onwards the Coalition government had a policy of cutting red tape to allow more freedom for construction firms. This meant that instead of fire brigades or a building regulator having control over safety, companies and building owners were left to regulate themselves, with the main requirement being to ensure that building design and materials could not spread flames.
The government at the time had an explicit policy of getting rid of 'red tape', including health and safety requirements.
Brandon Lewis MP was responsible for fire safety in the years before Grenfell and he decided the fire safety industry should regulate itself, telling the inquiry he had ideological and practical concerns about increasing the role of government.
The inquiry has heard that from 2005 there were growing signs that the housing industry was using "cowboys" without formal qualifications to assess buildings.
The assessor who inspected Grenfell Tower was described as "professionally reckless" by an expert witness because he signed off the building's cladding as safe, without evidence.
Grenfell Tower: Official admits he could have prevented fire - BBC News
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