Government pressed over cladding timeline
ANGELA Constance has been urged to clarify when government officials and ministers were told that Grenfell-style cladding had been found on tower blocks in Glasgow.
The Communities Secretary was pressed on when the Scottish Government had been informed of the discovery as she gave a statement to MSPs at Holyrood on ministers’ response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Glasgow City Council revealed in September that combustible cladding might be present on almost 60 private high rise buildings, a number that was later reduced to 19.
Ms Constance had previously told the Parliament that the local authority had notified Scottish Government standards officials of the finding late on September 5.
But private emails released after a freedom of information request made by the Scottish Conservatives show that the government’s head of building standards, Bill Dodds, was informed about a group of flats that had aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on August 17.
Tory housing spokesman Graham Simpson said: “The Cabinet Secretary mentioned cladding in her statement. She told this parliament on September 21 that the Government was informed on September 5 that some flats in Glasgow may have ACM cladding.
“But we have email evidence that suggests the government knew three weeks earlier than that. Can Angela Constance confirm exactly when government officials and ministers were told about that cladding?”
In response, Ms Constance said: “We have been transparent about the work that we’re leading in the ministerial working group. We’re always happy to provide further detail.
“I think it is important to stress that over the past few months we have received and do receive information from concerned people, whether that’s building owners or local authorities, and as a result of that information we have had to dig deeper to clarify at times what that information says. So I don’t accept Mr Simpson’s characterisation of how he has presented the facts around Glasgow.
“There has been intensive engagement between officials and Glasgow City Council officials to clarify what the issues are and the nature of those issues and to get really specific information, because it is imperative that when we come to our feet that information is indeed accurate.”