We can’t tell you where fire hazard blocks are.. that would make them fire hazards
Officials won’t reveal our at-risk Buildings tenants in dark on dangers
Sites of buildings with deadly combustible cladding will not be made public – in case they are set on fire.
The Scot t ish Government is withholding the locations of tower blocks in Scotland which could be at risk in the wake of the blaze at the Grenfell flats in London in 2017 which killed 72 people.
Under Freedom of Information laws, housing campaigners had requested the addresses but were refused.
The Scottish Government said the location of the sites had been supplied to it in confidence and it was not in the public interest to reveal them.
In their latest response, officials now say revealing the locations could put owners’ and tenants’ lives in danger.
The Scottish Government said: “Disclosure would prejudice the protection of an individual’s right to privacy and raise the likelihood of risks resulting in significant harms. Similarly there is a safety risk arising from vandalism and f ire- raising at the buildings if their locations are disclosed.
“Any such activity may also impact neighbouring buildings and pose a further risk to life.”
Earl ier this year the
Scottish Government launched the Single
Building Assessment scheme to identify buildings with dangerous cladding. In August the Sunday Mail revealed secret inspections had begun on 25 high-rise blocks. One of the properties is in Aberdeen, eight are in Edinburgh and 16 are in Glasgow.
A total of 393 buildings in Scotland are known to have the highly combustible high-pressure laminate.
In addition to 95 tower blocks, 27 colleges or universities, 244 state schools, nine private schools, f ive hospitals, one prison, five hotels and seven care homes have the same panels. A further 23 tower blocks have combustible polyethylene cladding of the type found in Grenfell. Any initial repair costs on firetrap buildings will be met as part of a £97million UK Government fund. Sean Clerk in, campa igns co- ordinator of the Scottish Tenants Organisation, said: “The public have the right to know what buildings are dangerous.” The Scottish Government said: “To protect the privacy of residents, who have asked for their information to be protected, we will not be providing the exact addresses of the properties.”