Concrete in the Houses of Parliament was in risk of collapsing.
No ‘immediate risk’ is posed by Raac’s presence in the Palace of Westminster, a parliamentary official claims.
A crisis involving unstable concrete in school buildings has been discovered in parliament.
No “immediate risk” is posed by the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), according to a legislative spokesperson.
Ministers are still under pressure to address the issue, as worries about the condition of school facilities have led to worries about the existence of Raac in other publicly owned infrastructure and buildings.
The official continued, “Raac was located in one area of the palace as part of routine ongoing investigations.” There is no immediate risk, according to structural engineers. Wherever Raac is detected, appropriate mitigations will be implemented.
There have long been worries regarding the security of the legislative estate due to numerous delays in the preparations to renovate and restore the building. The estate has received several warnings in recent years about the dangers of asbestos and fire.
Several billion pounds are expected to be spent on the restoration project. The Department of Education announced at the time that surveys for the concrete had already been conducted in more than 600 schools.
Senior authorities also affirmed that 98% of the department’s questionnaire replies on potential Raac in their facilities were received.
Ministers gave school administrators and the relevant organizations until last Friday to react. The DfE’s permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood and chief operations officer Jane Cunliffe testified before the public accounts committee (Pac), revealing the updated numbers.
MPs questioned the two top officials about the ongoing situation, and Pac chair Dame Meg Hillier told the civil servants that it was regrettable that they hadn’t prepared to appear before MPs with more data.
When Hillier questioned them about whether there were “tens” or “hundreds” of schools waiting for a Raac survey, they resisted answering the question.
Raac has not been discovered in two-thirds of all polls, Cunliffe informed the MPs.
The authorities were unable to estimate how many students were affected overall by the situation, but they defended the department’s handling of the matter and said that a “coordinated” cross-government approach was taken.
Raac discovered in Houses of Parliament but poses ‘no immediate risk’
In one area of the Palace of Westminster, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was discovered, but no “immediate risk” was stated by a spokesman.
The concrete was discovered during a “routine, on-going” investigation. Concrete can grow less stable with time.
Buildings at 150 schools have either been demolished or have undergone measures as a result of worries about dangerous concrete.
A parliamentary representative stated that “mitigations will be put in place where RAAC is found, as necessary.”
Concern over the existence of Raac in other publicly owned infrastructure and buildings has increased as a result of the closure of schools.
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- Raac University closed its teaching halls and student unions.
Long-standing worries about the parliamentary estate’s security are due to numerous delays in the efforts to renovate and restore the illustrious location.
The estate has received several warnings in recent years about the dangers of asbestos and fire.
Between £4 billion to £14 billion has been budgeted for the palace’s complete restoration.
Raac, which was frequently used in school building from the 1950s until the mid-1990s, has a tendency to crumble and become “crumbly” with time.
On Monday afternoon, a committee of MPs heard testimony about the matter from the permanent secretary and chief operating officer of the Department for Education, Susan Acland-Hood and Jane Cunliffe.
When queried repeatedly whether there were “tens” or “hundreds” of schools waiting for surveys, Dame Meg Hillier, the chair of the public accounts committee, encountered resistance.
“It is very fast-moving, we are doing tens of surveys every day,” Ms. Cunliffe added.
“I don’t think I can give you an assurance that there won’t be other changes in advice or views about it,” Ms. Acland-Hood said.
But I believe that staying actively up to date with the most recent information and research on it was the crucial thing we were attempting to perform.
Following a foul-mouthed outburst last week in which the Cabinet minister lamented that “everyone else has sat on their arses and done nothing,” Ms. Acland-Hood said that Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had been “generous” in her appreciation of staff.
