Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will issue guidance on removing asbestos insulating board which is vulnerable to disturbance or damage from children.

The Department for Education has undertaken a review of its policy on asbestos in schools, which will be published shortly.

The advice for schools on effective asbestos management is based on guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE recommend that, if asbestos is undamaged and unlikely to be disturbed, then it is usually safer to leave it in place and to manage it as required by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. If asbestos is found to be in an unsealed, damaged or poor condition, then it should be repaired, sealed, enclosed or removed by trained personnel.