Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of schools that have now responded to a questionnaire issued by her Department on the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete on their premises.

The Department has sent the questionnaire on reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) to all responsible bodies, asking them to provide information on RAAC in their estates. Responses from the questionnaire allow the Department to better understand the prevalence of RAAC across the education estate and ensure the correct support is in place to meet responsible bodies’ needs. ​

The Department continues to receive responses for all schools with blocks covered by the scope of the questionnaire. Many responses are partially complete as responsible bodies are carrying out further investigation. Therefore, an estimate cannot be given at this time.

The questionnaire remains open and the Department is actively encouraging responsible bodies to respond and update their responses as more information becomes available.

Identifying RAAC can be difficult, so all reports of suspected RAAC are investigated by structural engineers commissioned by the Department and, where needed, site surveys are undertaken to confirm its presence.