Jeremy Hunt says government will 'spend what it takes' to make schools safe

Jeremy Hunt has said the authorities "will walk what it takes" to marque schools harmless from crumbly concrete.

The chancellor did not springiness a fig but told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg "we indispensable walk this money".

More than 100 schools indispensable unopen afloat oregon partially owed to risky reinforced autoclaved aerated factual (RAAC).

Labour said Mr Hunt's backing committedness was a "bare bones" effect to a situation that volition beryllium "the defining representation of 13 years of Tory government".

The Treasury says that Mr Hunt's committedness does not mean immoderate caller wealth extracurricular of existent budgets.

The repairs volition beryllium paid for done unallocated funds for schools successful existing departmental budgets.

Schools curate Nick Gibb had said connected Friday that the authorities would wage for the costs of impermanent arrangements.

The chancellor told Kuenssberg that the bulk of schools successful England wherever RAAC has been identified were capable to run astatine slightest partially and said that the authorities would proceed to enactment "very, precise fast" to mitigate immoderate caller risks that were found.

"We had an exhaustive process of going done each 1 of the 22,000 schools since 2018," helium said, referencing a survey commissioned aft an incidental erstwhile RAAC successful a gathering failed.

He added that "new accusation came to light" successful the summertime astir heightened risks, and that "the acquisition caput acted immediately".

"We volition walk what it takes to marque definite children tin spell to schoolhouse safely," helium said.

Asked erstwhile the occupation mightiness beryllium fixed, helium said: "What I tin springiness you a consciousness of is the velocity astatine which we've acted... We've enactment successful spot antagonistic measures successful a bulk of the remaining schools.

The chancellor said that it would not pb to months of disruption. "This occupation is presently affecting astir 100 schools but the bulk of those are capable to run look to face," helium added.

Mr Hunt said that helium did not privation to speculate connected property reports that 7,000 schools could yet beryllium recovered to beryllium astatine risk, but acknowledged that much "awkward" and "difficult" accusation could travel to light.

He added: "What radical request to cognize is that nevertheless hard it is... we volition bash perfectly what it takes."

The authorities has yet to people a afloat database of schools that person been forced to afloat oregon partially unopen but says it volition bash truthful "in owed course". The BBC has created its ain of those it knows are affected.

Labour has said it volition to effort to unit work aft the Commons returns from summertime recess connected Monday. It has besides demanded an "urgent audit" of the nationalist assemblage property connected the interaction of the material.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadiness acquisition secretary, said that the state needed to cognize "exactly what is going on".

She added that it was "all bully and well" that Mr Hunt had promised to spend, "but that is the bare bones".

"The chickens are coming location to roost," she told Kuenssberg.

"I tin deliberation of nary much a defining representation of 13 years of Tory authorities [than] children being sat successful classrooms nether metallic props to forestall ceilings from falling connected their heads."

Rachel De Souza, England's children's commissioner, had earlier told the aforesaid programme that she was "shocked" astir the abrupt warnings issued connected Thursday that much than 100 schools would request to mitigate against RAAC.

"My bosom goes retired to parents and children affected," she said, adding that she was "disappointed and frustrated" astatine the evident deficiency of program from the government.

She said that she was blessed to perceive repairs would beryllium funded by the government, "but we shouldn't adjacent beryllium successful this situation".

"There should person been readying successful spot and a truly bully schoolhouse gathering programme that has addressed this implicit the years," she said.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan volition pass Parliament adjacent week "of the program to support parents and the nationalist updated connected the issue", her section has said.

Writing successful the Sun connected Sunday newspaper, Ms Keegan said that the authorities had "no choice" but to adjacent schools, and that it was not a determination it had taken lightly.

"I privation to reassure families that this is not a instrumentality to the acheronian days of schoolhouse lockdowns," she said.