Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the NHS estate on his Department's New Hospital Programme; and whether he plans to reprioritise that Programme.

NHS England has issued guidance for trusts nationally on how to establish the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their estate. There is ongoing engagement with trusts at a national and regional level to ensure RAAC is identified across the National Health Service estate. Where structural surveys identify RAAC in their estate, trusts are inducted into the national remediation programme.

The Government announced on 25 May 2023 that five RAAC schemes would be added into the New Hospital Programme and will be rebuilt by 2030 in addition to two RAAC hospitals already in the Programme. These schemes have been prioritised within the Programme to protect patient and staff safety.