Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

RAAC in Hospitals

Tuesday 17 October 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Department prioritizing seven worst-affected hospitals with a 700 million fund for RAAC replacement.
  • Many NHS buildings potentially contain asbestos due to age.
  • Secretary of State committed to visiting facilities to showcase progress.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington
NHS
Context

MP Ian Lavery is concerned about hospitals with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). He highlights a specific concern regarding the impact of asbestos in RAAC-affected hospitals.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to remediate hospital buildings with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Can the Secretary of State tell the House how many of the hospitals where RAAC is an issue also have issues with asbestos being present? What assessment has his Department made of the impact should asbestos spores be released in a RAAC collapse?

Answer from Steve Barclay

We are prioritising the seven worst-affected hospitals and have a fund of just under £700 million covering the four-year programme of replacement. The hon. Member raises an interesting point about asbestos, because much of the NHS estate dates from a time when asbestos was widely used. It is a similar issue with RAAC; we are following guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers and monitoring it. Where there is deterioration, we have a fund to tackle that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The number of hospitals affected by both RAAC and asbestos was not provided.

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Q2 Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington
NHS
Context

The Haywood walk-in centre in Stoke-on-Trent North has received £26.5 million for a new build out-patient building to address RAAC issues.

Question

Can the Secretary of State commit to visiting the Haywood walk-in centre, which has just received £26.5 million for a new out-patient building, to show off this fantastic progress?

Answer from Steve Barclay

It is always a pleasure to visit my hon. Friend's constituency. The national programme is working, backed with £700 million of funding for RAAC mitigation where required. We are closely monitoring the estate and taking necessary actions.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not commit to a visit specifically.

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Q3 Jonathan Gullis
NHS
Context

The number of hospital beds has fallen by almost 3,000 since ministers promised to increase them.

Question

Not only are the hospital buildings crumbling after 13 years of neglect; it seems that those still standing do not have enough beds. With a reduction of nearly 3,000 beds since ministers' promises, is this another broken promise?

Answer from Steve Barclay

First, we have got more than £1 billion of investment in an additional 5,000 permanent beds going into the NHS estate. We are committed to the biggest ever investment in the NHS estate backed with over £20 billion. Labour bequeathed expensive private finance initiative deals that many trusts are still paying for.

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not address whether the decrease in beds was a broken promise or provide specifics on addressing the current shortfall.

How: Blaming Previous Government

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Q4 Karin Smyth Lab Bristol South
NHS
Context

The MP is concerned about the safety of RAAC in hospitals.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to remediate hospital buildings with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Can the Secretary of State tell the House how many of the hospitals where RAAC is an issue also have issues with asbestos being present? What assessment has his Department made of the impact should asbestos spores be released in a RAAC collapse?

Answer from Steve Barclay

We are prioritising the seven worst-affected hospitals and have a fund of just under £700 million covering the four-year programme of replacement. The hon. Member raises an interesting point about asbestos, because much of the NHS estate dates from a time when asbestos was widely used. Of course, asbestos is considered safe if it is undisturbed.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The number of hospitals affected by both RAAC and asbestos was not provided.

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