Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC)

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville gave a statement to the Scottish Parliament on RACC on 7 September 2023. You can read the full statement here.

Concerns had been raised after some schools in England were closed, following the identification of RAAC in their structures. The lightweight form of concrete, which was linked to the collapse of the roof at a primary school in 2018, has also been found in more than 30 schools in Scotland.

Earlier this year, NHS Scotland issued a Safety Action Notice which warned that RAAC could be present in more than 250 of its buildings. The notice said roofs, walls and flooring made of RAAC were at “risk of catastrophic structural failure”, which could occur “suddenly” and “without warning”.

Building surveyor Rapleys has also suggested that as many as one in 10 public buildings built during the 1950s-80s contained RAAC panels.

However, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has also revealed that RAAC is not likely to be widespread in social homes in England.

There is a great deal of work going on to establish the extent of the problem in housing. So far a small number of Councils have reported a limited number of homes that may be at risk. The Scottish Government  convened a meeting of sector representatives for the 12 September with the following outcomes:

• The SG as set up a dedicated email address: raac@gov.scot to ensure that enquiries are distributed to the right team
• The SHR talked about notifiable events but it was not clear if they expect councils to notify them if they find RAAC.

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) and ALACHO will continue to engage with members, the Scottish Houisng Regulator and the Scottish Government to understand the extent of the issue in Scotland.