Safety of School Buildings

Debate between Gillian Keegan and Richard Graham

Wednesday 6th September 2023 Commons Chamber

[Gillian Keegan]

I will make a bit of progress, but I am not ignoring Members and I will take other interventions.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

Will the Secretary of State give way?

[Gillian Keegan]

I will make a bit of progress, and then I will come back to both hon. Members.

As we became aware of the specific issues with RAAC, we supplemented the data collection with more targeted surveys especially for RAAC. That was done so that when we made decisions, we would be able to act. I will leave colleagues to draw their own conclusions from the fact that Labour-run Wales is now playing catch-up to identify where RAAC is in its school estate. On the question from the hon. Member for Arfon (Hywel Williams), we briefed Wales verbally on new technical guidance on 1 September and we shared visual information on three cases over the weekend.

[Richard Graham]

None of us should be here to criticise the scrutiny of safety in schools, so can I thank the Department for dispatching fast, as requested, two surveyors to look at the one school in my constituency of Gloucester that is potentially affected? I also thank them for completing their mission fast, so that the head could today confirm to his teachers, parents and pupils alike that there is no RAAC in the school whatsoever.

[Gillian Keegan]

I thank my hon. Friend, and he is absolutely right. That is what we are doing with any work. We are being ultra-cautious here. The decision I have made is ultra-cautious, and first of all it is to make sure that we survey all schools as quickly as possible.