Cash-strapped schools affected by collapse-risk concrete will not have to pay for repairs out of their budgets, the education secretary has insisted.
Gillian Keegan told Sky News there will be no new money to fix the problem, but the costs will be covered by the Department for Education’s existing budget.
There has been a growing row over who will pay to pick up the bill for repairs to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) after the government announced more than 100 schools would have to close or partially close because of the risks associated with it.
Asked by Sky News who is going to pay to fix the problem, Ms Keegan said: “We have eight structural surveying firms who go in and do the surveys.
“We have three portacabin providers, so we’ve laid up a stock of portacabins so that people can be prepared quickly to be able to do that if they need temporary accommodation.
“And we’ve also looked at the propping company that’s nationwide. The Department for Education will pay for all of that.”
Asked if the money will come out of school budgets, Ms Keegan said: “No. It’s coming out of the Department for Education.”
Pressed on how much the government would ringfence towards fixing the issue, Ms Keegan said: “We haven’t got the costs yet.”
But she admitted it was likely to cost “many, many millions of pounds”.