RAAC and waste reforms on agenda for Public Accounts Committee
7 September 2023
The Public Accounts Committee discuss concerns around the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) with senior officials from the Department for Education (DfE).
- Watch Parliament live: The condition of school buildings
- Inquiry: The condition of school buildings
- Inquiry: The Government’s resources and waste reforms for England
- Public Accounts Committee
Witnesses
Monday 11 September, Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
At 3.15pm
Recall – RAAC and the condition of school buildings
- Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
- Jane Cunliffe, Chief Operating Officer, Operations and Infrastructure Group, Department for Education
At 4.15pm
The Government’s resources and waste reforms for England
- Tamara Finkelstein CB, Permanent Secretary at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Sarah Homer, Director General, Portfolio Delivery at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Emma Bourne OBE, Director, Resources and Waste at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The PAC previously questioned DfE officials in July on subjects including whether they had a good understanding of school buildings’ condition, whether appropriate funding is in place, and the concerns around the presence and ongoing management of both RAAC and asbestos.
While no further evidence sessions had been planned for the PAC’s condition of school buildings inquiry, DfE officials have now been recalled in light of fresh concerns raised around the use of RAAC in construction.
Following the recall session with the DfE, the PAC will then hold a separate evidence session at approximately 4.15pm as part of its inquiry into the Government’s resources and waste reforms for England.
The PAC will hear from senior officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on whether the Government has effective plans to achieve its resources and waste ambitions, and progress on collection and packaging reforms.
The Government published its Resource and Waste Strategy for England in 2018, setting out how it will establish a circular waste economy where products are used again or for longer through reuse, repair and recycling.
A National Audit Office report informing the PAC’s inquiry found that Defra must establish firmer foundations for its work on resources and waste.
Further information
Image: UK Parliament/Tyler Allicock