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The Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group is jointly chaired by COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, Councillor Kelly Parry and I. We share responsibility for chairing meetings and they and HPSG members have collective responsibility for agreeing the work programme and achieving the goals in the Ending Homelessness Together action plan.

The name of the short-life group was the Materials Shortages Working Group.

The purpose of the group was to examine where the immediate shortages were most acute and to identify opportunities to remove barriers and build capacity within Scotland. The minutes for this group were not published.

The group was set up in June 2021 and met a total of 12 times with the final meeting taking place on Tuesday 28 September 2021.

A letter summarising the key findings from the Materials Shortage Working Group’s work was sent to the Economy and Fair Work committee on 25 January 2022 and has been published on the Scottish Parliament website. Details of this letter can be found in the following link.

Construction Materials Shortages Working Group | Scottish Parliament Website

It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estate. The precise details regarding the number of spaces where this approach has been used to manage specific ventilation issues is not held by the Scottish Government.

Through the work of the Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) which I chair the Scottish Government is keen to see renewed focus on construction quality, including regulatory compliance, which will improve life-cycle value to clients and productivity of the industry.

The CLF meets bi-monthly with trade union, construction industry and government representatives collaborating on driving progress on the Construction Recovery Plan, which contains a range of practical actions to support the sector. As part of the transformation sub group of the CLF, work is ongoing on an action to gather and disseminate lessons from construction quality improvement initiatives and issue guidance on maintaining focus on construction quality and regulatory compliance during economic downturn. Another action is to establish the infrastructure to take forward and accelerate the work of the Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative.

We are working with the UK Government to explore how the proposed New Homes Ombudsman scheme provided for in the UK Building Safety Bill could operate in Scotland. We will continue this engagement to try to achieve a scheme that works for Scotland and respects the devolution settlement to ensure that buyers can purchase new-build homes with confidence and be assured that any problems relating to quality will be resolved effectively and efficiently.

In relation to the Building Standards system and to improve compliance with the building regulations, a consultation on proposals on the introduction of a new Compliance Plan Manager role, the definition of high risk buildings and penalties and enforcement was issued on 11 November 2021 and closed on 9 February 2022. Raised standards in this respect would be to ensure buildings meet the minimum building regulatory standard.

Further advice can be obtained from consumeradvice.scot which is a free consumer helpline funded by the Scottish Government.

Ventilation has been an important feature of our Reducing Risks in Schools guidance since October 2020. This guidance has been regularly updated in line with the latest expert advice.

Local authorities have undertaken a range of work to improve ventilation in schools in line with guidance and expert advice over the course of the pandemic. This work was initially supported with £90 million of Scottish Government funding for Covid logistics that could be used for a range of purposes including ventilation. A further £10 million of Scottish Government funding specifically for ventilation and CO2 monitoring in schools and ELC settings was provided to local authorities at the start of the new academic year in 2021.

A commitment was provided to local authorities to continue discussions regarding the need for any further funding to ensure effective action on ventilation could continue to be taken. The First Minister announced on 11 January that additional capital funding of up to £5 million would be made available to local authorities to support any further urgent remedial work that is needed to ensure good ventilation in schools and ELC settings.

These figures are based on the latest advice from SAGE’s Environmental Modelling Group, which monitors evidence from a wide range of authoritative sources. Our guidance is reviewed as scientific advice develops.

The figures used are aligned with those used in guidance issued by the Department for Education in England and the Welsh Government.

The Department for Education has undertaken a review of air cleaning devices likely to be suitable for use in schools, and associated costs, to support a centralised procurement strategy. This information was therefore utilised to assist in building up our cost assumptions.

Only a small number of local authorities in Scotland have to date chosen to utilise air cleaning devices, in a very small number of problematic spaces as a temporary measure.

We have not asked local authorities to undercut doors in schools, nor was £300,000 provided to them specifically for these purposes.

My letter to the Education, Children and Young People Committee setting out the example scenario was not guidance, and has not been issued to local authorities. It was a response to a request from the Committee to provide more detail on how costings had been arrived at. The letter stated:

“In order to calculate the £5m schools/ELC ventilation fund, we have assumed an example set of remedial measures which could be taken for each problematic space although this will vary depending on local decisions.”

and

“ It is very important to note that these costs will of course vary significantly in practice, as the precise remedial measures used in each problematic space should be informed by local circumstances and expert assessment by local authority teams .”

Local authorities are fully aware that they should undertake any remedial work in line with Scottish Government guidance on ventilation and expert input. Our guidance already makes clear that when implementing any Covid-safety measures, local authorities must continue to adhere to legal obligations with regard to health and safety, including fire safety. It is of course for local authorities as duty holders to ensure appropriate consultation with all relevant authorities when undertaking works in school buildings.

Scottish Government officials have spoken with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) regarding this matter.

SFRS have close working relationships with all Local Authorities, particularly when it comes to fire safety in educational establishments. SFRS have confirmed that they understand the Scottish Government’s approach in seeking to improve ventilation in schools and, in line with business as usual fire safety processes and procedures, they are happy to provide advice and support to Local Authorities regarding any changes to structures which may have an impact upon Fire Risk Assessments.

The City of Edinburgh Council shared this report with officials in the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust last year.

The analysis was based on a sample of 9 schools in May 2021 and showed, for example, that CO2 levels were high because windows were not being opened and rooms were not being flushed during breaks.

The report helped inform the work that the Council subsequently carried out to improve ventilation in schools.

In addition, the report was used to help further develop Scottish Government guidance.

The report was also shared with the expert Ventilation Short Life Working Group to inform their work.