7. To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to residents who have been required to evacuate their properties due to deteriorating reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. (S6O-02678)

Where residents are evacuated from their homes under local authority dangerous-building powers, it is for the local authority to determine what support is available to the individuals affected. For Mark Ruskell’s constituents who have been decanted in Tillicoultry, that has involved providing temporary housing, as well as support and advice to find alternative accommodation while detailed investigations take place.

My thoughts are with the families who are currently in those circumstances. The impact on those households has been significant, but I know that Clackmannanshire Council is working hard to minimise disruption while keeping people safe.

I thank the Cabinet secretary for that response and note her awareness of the situation in Tillicoultry. I understand that Clackmannanshire Council suspects that more than 100 other residences in the same area could also be seriously affected. What engagement has there been between Clackmannanshire Council and the Scottish Government? Has there been correspondence about the dire situation that some residents are in at the moment? How is the Scottish Government preventing affected residents across Scotland from remaining in temporary accommodation indefinitely while they await the outcome of building assessments and potential remedial works?

The Government is in contact with all councils on the issue and with the Scottish Housing Regulator, and it has been involved in the issue in Tillicoultry since it was first identified. My understanding is that 29 households across three housing blocks have been affected. The local authority is conducting further survey work to determine next steps, but it has not identified other blocks with unsafe RAAC.

An important point of reassurance is that the Institution of Structural Engineers notes that statements about RAAC having a 30-year lifespan are misleading and that there is no specific data supporting that. The institution notes that, if manufactured and installed correctly and maintained appropriately, RAAC should perform comparably with similar materials. Of course, it also stresses the importance of inspecting RAAC installations to determine their condition, which is my understanding of what the council is doing.

The response to a freedom of information request that I submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council identified two developments comprising 43 homes that contain RAAC. Can the Cabinet secretary tell Parliament whether ministers now know how many social rented properties and private properties across Scotland could contain RAAC?

As I highlighted in my original answer, this is an issue for the councils concerned, but we are working with the Scottish Housing Regulator to undertake a data-gathering exercise on the presence of RAAC across all social housing providers. The initial responses to that request were due by 31 October and are now being collated. It is important to ensure that the Scottish Government continues to work with local councils to support communities where they are affected.