EVERY school authority in Scotland has been contacted by the Scottish Government minister responding to the scandal over fresh fire safety fears revealed in the Cole report.
Kevin Stewart, Minister for Housing and Local Government has told councils to follow recommendations in the report by Professor John Cole over fireproofing, or "fire stopping" involves sealing specified wall spaces with fire resistant materials.
The report revealed eight PPP schools in Merseyside were found to have "sub-standard fireproofing" and the problem was raised as being potentially widespread.
Read more: Herald View: Serious questions about PPP projects
Edinburgh City Council said in a statement that "issues raised in the report regarding fire stopping in the 17 schools are being rectified and the Council has employed a fire safety expert to ensure all buildings remain safe for occupancy".
Gordon Macdonald, Edinburgh Pentlands SNP MSP, said: "For ten year’s school children in my constituency have been attending schools where there were fire-stopping defects.
"As the report highlights, fire-stopping measures ‘prevent the spread of smoke or flame that could otherwise lead to avoidable risk to life and unnecessary damage to property'.
“Parents in my area need the reassurance that the necessary fire-stopping remedial work is complete and will be subject to inspection by a fire-safety expert to confirm that all necessary remedial work has been done and that it has been done to the required standards.”
Read more: Herald View: Serious questions about PPP projects
Mr Stewart said that "the safety of people in public buildings is an absolute priority".
He said: "Today I have again written to local authorities highlighting the points and recommendations this report raises around compliance and fire-stopping.
"I have underlined the importance of adhering to building regulations, technical standards and the inspection processes which are in place to protect the public.
"Building on work already undertaken by Scottish Futures Trust, robust guidance will also be provided to public sector bodies in Scotland on the findings of the report to ensure these are immediately reflected within their asset inspection and management strategies.
“I have been clear with local authorities that any instance of non-compliance is completely unacceptable.
Read more: Herald View: Serious questions about PPP projects
"As I consider this report in full, I will be looking at the system with which we hold building owners, developers and compliance authorities to account during construction.”
Barry White, chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust, the independent company set up by the Scottish Government with a responsibility for delivering value for money across public sector infrastructure, said: “SFT shared technical information on the construction defects with public sector partners as it emerged from City of Edinburgh Council last year, to allow them to consider appropriate assurance activities.
“The inquiry report highlights further technical details and makes wide-ranging recommendations for the construction industry as well as public sector asset owners and procurers.
“SFT has written again today to all major owners of public buildings highlighting the report’s main findings so that they can consider any immediate actions. We will be considering the recommendations in detail and will issue further guidance as soon as possible.”
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