Summary

  • The Local Government Committee takes evidence from Housing Minister Kevin Stewart on building and fire regulations and then on homelessness

  • MSPs quiz education ministers during portfolio questions

  • The Scottish government gives a ministerial statement on air quality

  • MSPs debate Paisley's 2021 UK City of Culture and Dundee's 2023 European Capital of Culture bids

  • SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth leads a debate on the Levenmouth Rail Link

  1. Background: Cladding to be stripped from Queen Elizabeth University Hospitalpublished at 10:16 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Queen Elizabeth University Hospital building

    Cladding similar to that used in the fire-hit Grenfell Tower in London is to be removed from Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital building.

    NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said "forensic checks" had identified cladding similar to, but not the same as, that used in the London tower.

    The board stressed that the hospital was designed to be "one of the most fire safe buildings in the country".

    But they said the cladding would be removed as a "precautionary measure".

    Cladding made from an aluminium composite material is thought to have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire which engulfed Grenfell Tower in June.

  2. Minister very disappointed with Glasgow evidence last weekpublished at 10:15 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Housing Minister Kevin StewartImage source, bbc
    Image caption,

    Housing Minister Kevin Stewart

    Tory MSP Alexander Stewart says the information on the 57 private high rise buildings in Glasgow only emerged due to questioning in the committee next week.

    Mr Stewart asks what lessons can be learned.

    Housing Minister Kevin Stewart says he is very disappointed in the answers that were given by the council last week.

    The minister says 31 local authorities had reported back that there was no issue with private high rise buildings and there was just one authority that did not.

    He says the government will be doing everything it can to make sure local authorities are open transparent, adding the government has been open and transparent about hospitals and other buildings.

  3. Fire service does not have responsibility for intrusive inspections during routine visitspublished at 10:12 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    David McGowan from Scotland's Fire and Rescue Service

    Green MSP Andy Wightman asks Mr McGowan if the cladding was inspected during recent inspection visits.

    Mr Wightman asks what was being looked at.

    David McGowan from Scotland's Fire and Rescue Service says the building owner has a responsibility to ensure common areas are accessible by the fire service.

    Mr McGowan says the purpose of visits of the fire service to these properties is to reassure residents and to make sure the buildings are accessible.

    He says the fire service does not have the responsibility of the skills necessarily to carry out the intrusive inspections being referred to.

  4. SUMMARY: Two leading experts announced as chairs of fire safety review groupspublished at 10:11 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Two leading experts have been announced as the chairs of the two groups that will take forward the review of building standards.

    Professor John Cole will chair the review of enforcement and compliance and Dr Paul Stollard will chair the review of fire safety in building standards.

  5. 'I am going to keep a very close eye on all of this'published at 10:08 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Tory MSP Graham Simpson says Glasgow City Council should have let the owners of the building know.

    Mr Simpsons asks what will happen if Glasgow fails over the next year.

    Mr Stewart says: "I am going to keep a very close eye on all of this."

    He says if improvement does not take place he will have to consider whether to use his powers to appoint another verifier.

  6. Informing residents the responsibility of Glasgow City Councilpublished at 10:07 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Kevin Stewart

    Tory MSP Graham Simpson asks if residents now have the appropriate information.

    Mr Stewart says this is also the responsibility of the local authority building standards team.

    The housing minister says at this time the information is still not clear and that Glasgow City Council expects to provide this information by the end of the week.

    He says the building owners will have responsibility for repairs should they be required.

  7. Postpublished at 10:05 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

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  8. 'I would expect any local authority to take action'published at 10:04 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Ms Smith says if any local authority finds something of concern she hopes the would in future act immeidately.

    Mr Stewart says: "I would expect any local authority to take action."

    The minister says if a local authority did not take action then he would.

  9. 'We have dealt with our responsibilities'published at 10:03 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Kevin Stewart

    Mr Stewart says it is about responsibility and the building owner is ultimately responsible for compliance.

    The housing minister says, if at any point, Glasgow City Council's building standards team thought there was safety fears then they should have taken action.

    He says "we need to get all the information before we take action."

    "We have dealt with our responsibilities," he says.

  10. Government official says help was offered to Glasgow a number of timespublished at 10:03 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Bill DoddsImage source, bbc

    Labour MSP Elaine Smith says there seems to be a communication breakdown and asks why there was a delay in sharing information.

    Ms Smith says there was information given to the ministerial working group and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service got that information.

    Scottish government head of building standards Bill Dodds says Glasgow believed they had the requisite number of staff to collate the information.

    Mr Dodds says help was offered a number of times.

    He says there was a reluctance to act on the limited information given.

    Mr Dodds says: "Ultimately its the building owner that is responsible."

  11. 'It was unfortunate we did not have clear and definitive information'published at 09:57 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Kevin Stewart and David McGowan

    Housing Minister Kevin Stewart says it would be the norm that every building over 18 metres would be reported and fire safety checked.

    David McGowan from Scotland's Fire and Rescue Service says the information received from Glasgow City Council was incomplete.

    "It was unfortunate we did not have clear and definitive information," he says.

  12. Witness hopeful Glasgow inspections will complete by this time next weekpublished at 09:56 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Mr Doris says the committee members also think it is unacceptable Glasgow City Council did not accept the government offer of help.

    The committee convener says the council should have immediately told fire and rescue in Glasgow

    However he asks why Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sits on the ministerial working group and it could have let Glasgow fire and rescue know.

    Scottish Fire and Rescue Service assistant chief officer David McGownImage source, bc
    Image caption,

    Scottish Fire and Rescue Service assistant chief officer David McGown

    Scottish Fire and Rescue Service assistant chief officer David McGown says the information received on 8 September was unclear.

    Mr McGown says as soon as more substantial information was received, albeit incomplete, it was passed to the local teams.

    He says he is hopeful that by this time next week the inspections of the 57 private high rise buildings in Glasgow will be complete, with only 15 still being worked on.

  13. Glasgow City Council refused the help when it was offeredpublished at 09:52 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Mr Doris asks how the government can work with the local authority to make sure the information is provided by this Friday.

    The committee convener also asks if lessons will be learned from this going forward for the building warrant system.

    Housing Minister Kevin Stewart

    Housing Minister Kevin Stewart says his decisions on audit came before the fire at Grenfell Tower.

    Mr Stewart says it has now become even more apparent that local authorities need extra support and expertise that the government can provide.

    He says Glasgow City Council refused the help when it was offered.

  14. Official says summer holidays and information retrieval difficulties in Glasgow caused delaypublished at 09:50 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Scottish government head of building standards Bill Dodds says the information given out to all authorities was equally consistent.

    Mr Dodds says with Glasgow the summer holidays intervened and there were difficulties in retrieving documents.

    He says the audit process will look at the record keeping in Glasgow.

  15. Grenfell Tower: entire building was over-cladpublished at 09:47 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Bill Dodds from the Scottish government

    Bill Dodds from the Scottish government says it is about clarity around the cladding used.

    Mr Dodds says it is important to clarify that, with Grenfell, the entire building was over-clad.

    Mr Doris asks why Glasgow did not provide that clarity in the first place and questions whether they did not know what was expected of them or if their record keeping is poor.

    Housing Minister Kevin Stewart says other local authorities knew what was expected of them and therefore it is disappointing that Glasgow did not.

  16. 'We need to take any actions necessary coming from the completed information we receive'published at 09:44 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Committee convener Bob Doris asks what lack of clarity the government has had from Glasgow.

    Housing Minister Kevin Stewart says Edinburgh took up the offer of support and Glasgow did not.

    Mr Stewart says Glasgow have sent an e-mail saying they are on track to complete the work by the end of this week.

    He says: "We need to take any actions necessary coming from the completed information we receive."

  17. Housing minister disappointed by local authority response to committeepublished at 09:42 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Kevin Stewart

    Mr Stewart says he was particularly disappointed with some of the answers given to the deputy convener from local authorities on responsibility.

    The housing minister says there is more local authorities can do than just inform residents.

    He says if local authorities know that a building is unsafe then they should act and reclaim the money later.

    Mr Stewart says he would expect local authorities to know their responsibilities.

  18. Postpublished at 09:41 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

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  19. Government unhappy at the lack of detail received from Glasgow City Councilpublished at 09:40 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Committee convener Bob Doris says the way Glasgow City Council revealed information about the private high rise buildings with cladding was wholly inappropriate.

    Mr Stewart says he was very disappointed in some of what he heard last week.

    The housing minister says he was unhappy at the lack of detail received from Glasgow City Council.

    He says the key is getting the right information and not having the right information can cause alarm.

    That is why it is so important that the government has the right information before taking the next step he says.

  20. Minister says Glasgow must provide same information as other councilspublished at 09:38 British Summer Time 27 September 2017

    Kevin Stewart

    Mr Stewart says no social high rise building were found on ACM.

    The minister says he expects Glasgow to provide the same information as other local authorities.

    Glasgow City Council has a responsibility to supply the information to residents as a priority.