Why has concrete suddenly become headline news?

We indispensable admit, we'd ne'er heard of reinforced autoclaved aerated factual (RAAC) until the different day.

But heavy wrong definite and precise peculiar corners of government, it has been a talking constituent for years

So wherefore has this abruptly go header news?

Let's analyse the anatomy of this peculiar issue.

Over the summer, a schoolhouse ceiling collapsed. Until it did, it wasn't known that it was made from RAAC.

This, alongside different incidents and assessments from Department for Education (DfE) officials, led Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to reason the authorities had underestimated the imaginable dangers of RAAC.

Conversations took spot astir a week agone betwixt Downing Street and the acquisition section and it was agreed enactment was necessary.

Ministers were braced for hard questions but felt they had nary alternative.

It has led immoderate astatine Westminster and beyond to wonderment if Ms Keegan has overreacted.

Her allies accidental the facts had changed and she has been "more proactive connected RAAC than immoderate different authorities curate successful the world".

Enter next, Jonathan Slater, the erstwhile imperishable caput astatine the acquisition section - its astir elder civilian servant. He was sacked three years ago.

Mr Slater claimed successful a BBC interrogation that determination was a "critical hazard to life" if the schoolhouse repairs programme was not funded.

He said up to 400 schools a twelvemonth needed work, but the section got backing for 100 portion helium was the elder official, which was "frustrating".

He was optimistic this would emergence to 200 aft helium left. The existent fig was 50.

As acold arsenic we tin enactment out, the committedness to money 100 was ne'er made public.

The government's spending reappraisal 3 years agone committed to "rebuilding 500 schools successful England implicit the adjacent decade".

The spending reappraisal 2 years agone said the same, moving retired astatine 50 a year.

The premier curate claimed Mr Slater's onslaught connected his grounds was "completely and utterly wrong".

Let's unpick this a little.

We person been speaking to radical who were progressive successful those backstage negotiations wrong government.

What bash they callback of what happened then?

One fig acknowledged determination was "an accepted request to code the contented of RAAC".

But, they added, determination was small consciousness that it would beryllium imminently dangerous.

The large representation discourse astatine the clip was 1 of the state and the authorities recovering from the pandemic.

The discourse successful the DfE was a absorption connected escaped schools and the request to boost backing per pupil.

The contented of replacing RAAC successful schools featured successful the discussions betwixt the acquisition section and the Treasury, we are told - but lone briefly.

And, 1 well-placed root told us, it is improbable the contented would person ever reached Rishi Sunak.

In short, the DfE was acrophobic astir RAAC, but had different pressing governmental concerns astatine the clip too.

And the Treasury wasn't persuaded it was pressing, and hadn't been for immoderate time.

Rightly oregon wrongly, the authorities past had 1 presumption connected the hazard of RAAC and its comparative importance.

And, rightly oregon wrongly, the authorities present has a alternatively antithetic one.

Critics of the Conservatives suggest spending cuts implicit the past decennary oregon truthful of their clip successful bureau are responsible.

What is besides worthy considering is the penetration this crumbling factual offers into ministers' choices, judgements and attitudes to risk, some present and successful caller years.

Some of this is related to money. But instincts, priorities and discourse are cardinal too, successful the DfE and beyond - past and now.

It is however these person shifted - successful the airy of what has happened this summertime - that has led to the consequences we are seeing, and volition proceed to see.