Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will (a) form a national team of academics and industrialists to assess the implications for his policies of the conclusions of public-funded research that has been undertaken on RAAC and (b) request that Innovate UK issue a call for proposals under a unified RAAC theme on (i) non-contact structural integrity assessment, (ii) contact-based structural integrity assessment, (iii) short-term solutions to address the problem, (iv) strategies for long-term solutions, (v) a review of previously published research and (vi) the development of new codes of practice with a view to minimise the probability of such materials-based problems arising in the future.

Whilst some research has been carried out and is underway, it is important to pursue further research into Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). The Cabinet Office is already working with the Government Office for Science, Innovate UK, academics, professional bodies, industry and other stakeholders to prioritise future research requirements.