Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete also have asbestos on their estate.

An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC was published on 16 October 2023, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information.

Asbestos ‘duty holders’ for schools, who usually include local authorities and academy trusts, must comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Information on duty holders is available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/duty.htm#who. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates schools’ compliance with legislation to manage their asbestos safely. These require duty holders to have a robust asbestos management plan, train staff, and maintain an asbestos register detailing location, type, and condition of asbestos in their buildings.

Where asbestos is present in a building that has RAAC, remediation activity could disturb it, duty holders must identify, assess, and manage asbestos risk. They must share any information on the location, type, and condition of asbestos with anyone who is liable to disturb it, such as contractors or the emergency services. The HSE has published a comprehensive guide to managing asbestos in premises to help duty holders, which is available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg227.htm. Where asbestos needs to be removed as part of work to mitigate RAAC, based on professional advice, the department will work closely with responsible bodies to help them do so.

The department is providing significant support to schools and colleges. Every school and college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from our team of 80 caseworkers who work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them. Schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are also being supported by the department’s ten Regional Directors and their teams across the country.

Project delivery teams are on site to support schools and colleges to minimise the disruption to children and young people’s learning, whether that is finding short-term accommodation options or designing and putting in place structural solutions for affected spaces. Mitigation plans could include using other spaces on the school site, in nearby schools or elsewhere in the local area, until structural works are carried out or temporary buildings are installed. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits their circumstances. Project delivery, property, and technical experts are on hand to support schools to put face-to-face education measures in place.

Responsibility for keeping buildings safe and well-maintained lies with schools and their responsible bodies. The department supports them in meeting their responsibilities through condition programmes, guidance, and funding, including £1.8 billion of capital funding in 2023/24, as part of over £15 billion allocated since 2015.

The department is providing significant support to schools and colleges to ensure children remain in face-to-face education or are returned to it as soon as possible. This includes providing all schools and colleges where RAAC is confirmed with a dedicated caseworker to work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them with a clear focus on getting children back to full time face-to-face education as quickly as possible. These arrangements change quickly and so any data regarding mitigations would soon be out of date.