Grenfell lessons must be learned here
OVER the last few days it’s been hard to think of anything except the suffering of those affected by the horrific fire in London’s Grenfell Tower.
Those images of so many homes engulfed in flames will be with us all for many years to come.
Our thoughts remain with those who have lost loved ones – many of whom still face an agonising wait for news.
And we are also thinking of those who managed to escape, but who have lost everything.
Once again, we are in awe of our emergency services, who provided a first-class response in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
Clearly, the immediate focus should quite rightly be on supporting those who have been made homeless.
But there is also a real and understandable need to provide answers to some very serious questions. While we must be careful not to speculate or rush to judgment at this stage, here at home we should stand ready to learn any lessons that need to be learned.
We have set up a ministerial group to ensure that Scottish property regulations are as robust as they need to be.
We must be able to provide the assurances that people living in high-rise flats in Scotland are understandably looking for.