To ask the Scottish Government when the housing secretary will meet with those constituents from Tillicoultry affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, following the commitment to do so that was made in early August. (S6O-05024)

As I mentioned in my response to Mark Ruskell, we met Clackmannanshire Council at the new RAAC in housing leadership group on 4 September and I am in dialogue with campaigners in Clackmannanshire to agree a date for me to meet them in situ. I understand that 19 November has been offered; I think that that date works for campaigners and I am waiting to see whether it works for the council.

The issue goes beyond Clackmannanshire Council. As the Cabinet secretary will be aware, the United Kingdom Government was aware of the risks of RAAC before devolution. Given the previous convention in many other areas for Westminster to cover pre-devolution legacy costs, is the cabinet secretary disappointed that the UK Government has not taken responsibility for RAAC and is making no contribution towards resolving the issue, which I agree is very important for my constituents in Tillicoultry?

Yes, I think that it is essential that the UK Government comes to the table on RAAC, which is present in housing throughout the United Kingdom. As Keith Brown has set out, it is present in properties that were sold under the right to buy, which far predates devolution. Moreover, the UK Government is the only Government in the UK that has the financial flexibility to respond to unexpected costs. One of my first acts in post was to write to the former Deputy prime minister, who was formerly the housing secretary. Following the UK Government’s unexpected reshuffle, I have written to the new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to make the case for a UK-wide fund and have set out my expectation that he addresses me on that.

RAAC was unforeseen and has been devastating for communities, not only in social housing. In Motherwell, we also lost our theatre and concert hall and it has affected local churches. I understand that the Cabinet secretary is in contact with the UK Government but, given the scale of the problem and the constraints on the Scottish budget, is it not vital that the UK Government steps up to form some sort of RAAC remediation fund?

It is. I reiterate that the presence of RAAC across the United Kingdom, coupled with the fact that the affected properties were largely sold under right to buy pre-devolution, alongside the UK Government’s financial flexibilities, mean that it is the only Government across the United Kingdom that is in a position to offer a national remediation fund. As I said, the former Minister for Housing and I have made representations on that, and I will continue to do so. I also intend to use the newly convened RAAC in housing leadership group as a further attempt to bring the UK Government to the table to face up to its responsibilities.

RAAC remediation is a postcode lottery in Scotland. We have heard about the heartbreaking scenario of yet another group of home owners who are, sadly, going to lose their homes. I find that absolutely heartbreaking.

I do not agree with the idea that this is all on the UK Government. The Scottish Government can find money down the back of the sofa when it wants to, so why will it not back home owners in Scotland who are impacted by RAAC? I will ask the Cabinet secretary what I have asked her before: will she finally confirm whether the Government will give financial assistance to home owners who are impacted by RAAC?

I am afraid that Meghan Gallacher’s characterisation of the way in which Governments set budgets and prudently spend public money is completely inaccurate and reflective of a lack of understanding of how Government works in this country. I have set out the number of ways in which I am committed to supporting residents who are affected by RAAC, including meeting residents, convening meetings of leaders who are dealing with the issue, driving progress and trying to share best practice.

A practical point that I would put on the record, which is much more pragmatic than some of the nonsense that we have been hearing from the Conservatives today, is that a real issue that needs to be worked through is the availability of mortgages once RAAC at a property has been remediated and a green status provided to that property. I will be using the leadership group to try to work with UK Finance and the Chartered Institute of Insurers to reach a resolution on that important point.