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Known as raac a type of concrete, thats known to be at risk of crumbling. Meanwhile, in the last couple of hours another twist with the Education Secretary caught on camera voicing her frustrations about the media coverage. This is Gillian Keegan, after an interview with itv news. Does anyone ever say, you know what, youve done a bleep good job, because Everyone Else has sat on their and done nothing . No signs of that, no . The footage was captured by itv news as the Camera Repositioned for extra shots at the end of an interview with the minister, while she was still wearing her microphone. In the last hour or so, Gillian Keegan has given another interview, apologising for those comments. Have apologising for those comments. Have a listen. Gillian keegan, you said Everyone Else had sat on their as is, which suggests you think people hadnt been pulling their weight. Who were you talking about . It was about nobody in particular. It was an off the cuff remark after the News Interview had finished or apparently after it had finished. I would like to apologise for my choice language there. But it was an off the cuff remark, basically based on the interview. The interview had been pressing me quite hard, why i hadnt solved this issue which had been going on since 1994. It is frustrating because we are doing everything now to take a leading position, to be on the front foot, to put all of the support in place that responsible bodies and schools need. It is also frustrating weve got some questionnaires that are still not there. We have been chasing and chasing them. So we have just written today again to say, you need to get your questionnaires in by the end of the week. I understand because obviously the evidence has changed, but you need to be able to move quickly when you get new evidence. So that is something that, yes, i apologise for the language, but it is something that im very keen to make progress on. That was the Education Secretary. Lets look at the broader issue of unsaved concrete at schools. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister responded to accusations that he refused to adequately fund school repairs. Unsafe concrete. Are you to blame for. Whats happening now . And do you want to apologise to parents and pupils . I think that is completely and utterly wrong. Actually, one of the first things i did as chancellor in my first Spending Review in 2020 was to announce a new Ten Year School Rebuilding Programme for 500 schools. Now, that equates to about 50 schools a year that will be refurbished or rebuilt. And if you look at what weve been doing over the previous decade, thats completely in line with what weve always done. About 50 or so schools a year refurbished or rebuilt. Thats what i announced as chancellor in my first Spending Review. On top of that, i also invested £5 billion to help our kids catch up with lost learning from covid, the education recovery programme. I think youll remember at the time that was rightly a priority of the country to help our kids whove been disrupted by covid, with extra tutoring, for example, to help them catch up. And that cost £5 billion, which i invested in as chancellor. Lets you the live pictures from the house of commons, because the Health Secretary Steve Barclay is currently just giving an update after Steve Barclay has concluded, and the Education Secretary will give an update on this issue. So, we will leave those pictures there of the house of commons, so you wont miss a momentjust as soon as Gillian Keegan approaches the dispatch box, but whilst we wait, lets talk to our Political Correspondent Damian Grammaticas At Westminster. Lets return to the earlier contribution from the Education Secretary, with those off the cuff comments, as she describes it. What have we heard from number ten specifically about that . ~. ,. ,. ,. , that . Well, what we have heard as ou make that . Well, what we have heard as you make a that . Well, what we have heard as you make a layer that . Well, what we have heard as you make a layer is that . Well, what we have heard as you make a layer is the that . Well, what we have heard as you make a layer is the education | you make a layer is the Education Secretary coming out, and i think, being made to come out very quickly and issue that apology. Is you made clear. Some are saying it is a bit of a half apology, because she turned around and said that it was the interviewer, the Tv Correspondence he was putting her on that, and he is a correspondent who has investigated lots of issues around schools and maintenance of government buildings. Pushing her on that. So, lots of questions about that. But that row in itself is distracted or distracted a bit of attention from the central issue, which were pointing out of the state of schools. But Gillian Keegan found herself caught on camera, in a very embarrassing moment, and it is not ultimately clear whether she was talking about the interviewer or talking about the interviewer or talking about the interviewer or talking about other ministers, about schools being slow to come out with information about which buildings might be affected, or if she was talking about the Prime Minister rishi sunak and decisions he made as chancellor, in charge of government spending, and criticisms that those budgets might have been cut, which he obviously says doesnt happen. The opposition, as you can imagine, really making hay from this. So, labour leader sir keir starmer has talked about things descending into farce, as the Liberal Democrat opposition are saying that Gillian Keegan shouldnt be asking anyone to thank her at a time when it is insulting to parents, when children are being told they cant go to School Because of the state of buildings. School because of the state of buildinus. �. , School Because of the state of buildinus. �. , School Because of the state of buildin95 School Because of the state of buildinus. �. , buildings. And what has been the reaction there buildings. And what has been the reaction there at buildings. And what has been the reaction there At Westminster buildings. And what has been the reaction there At Westminster to | buildings. And what has been the i reaction there At Westminster to the defence from rishi sunak Facing Accusations that he cut budgets or didnt increase them as much as the Department For Education actually wanted . What, in terms of his defence, because he made the point there was money allocated by him for 50 schools, which was the same as the decade preceding it, but that doesnt suggest any sort of step change after the crucial boarding. No, well, the government says the crucial when it was a few weeks ago, when buildings its also 0k crucial when it was a few weeks ago, when buildings its also ok for the time being, every file done in one of them. But as you say, there has been warnings going back many years, and even a couple of decades about the state of this. These are 50 year old schools with Concrete Settlement to last 30 years. Mr sunak� s case says that when he came on as chancellor, he gave this funding for schools. Concrete that was meant to last. That was about 50 a year. That was a new sort of programme, replacing ones that were already going on about that level. A senior Civil Servant said today, in the Department For Education, that they had actually asked for 100 schools a year, and been given 50. But what seems clear is that even now, the level of funding is about 3 billion a year, i think. The best practice that the Governments National accounts office said should be spent, or could be spent to bring all buildings up should be about double that. And that is still less than if you are just the last Labour Government was spending, according to the Fiscal Institute that observes the thing is, back in 2010, when labour was last in, it was spending more than that. So, lots around these figures, and the Prime Minister saying he didnt cut them, but as you say, at the minute that is still going on, that programme is about 50 a year, and now, the government is facing this issue are urgently needing to repair schools and get children back into them. Damien in westminster there. Thank you very much. Earlier, i spoke with author, broadcaster and host of rock n roll politics podcast, steve richards, and asked him what he makes of Gillian Keegans comments. The government has two problems here. One is the communications issue, and it isjust basic here. One is the communications issue, and it is just basic politics that you dont say things like that when you still have a microphone and a half on. You can see how sort of taking it off while she is purging her frustration and anger with Everyone Else. You just dont do it. It is kind of an mature. Politicians who have done that in the past always deeply regretted it. It is kind of temperature. Rishi sunak was also kind of unconvincing in his answers to, busy blaming Everyone Else. It was kind of temperature. I dont think he was effective as a medicated dealing with this. But there are issues with decisions made over spending over the last 13 years, and the consequences of those decisions being played out an hour. In a way, it is a nightmare for the government, because as the start of a new political year, and you hope to kind of change the mood music, and you are actually hit with a very tangible sense of things not working. I tangible sense of things not workinu. , tangible sense of things not workinu. ,. ~. , tangible sense of things not workinu. , tangible sense of things not workin. U,. ~. , h,. , working. I will come back to some of those broader working. I will come back to some of those broader points, working. I will come back to some of those broader points, but working. I will come back to some of those broader points, but in working. I will come back to some of those broader points, but in terms i those broader points, but in terms of those comments on the gaffe, one remembers Gordon Browns gaffe after meeting a pensioner. These things do permanent damage, or can theyjust be fleetingly embarrassing . I think it is more than be fleetingly embarrassing . I think it is more than fleeting. Be fleetingly embarrassing . I think it is more than fleeting. Gordon it is more than fleeting. Gordon brown was tortured when he was caught slagging off a voter in a car with his microphone still on. He apologised right away and went to see the voter, but it doesnt remove the original remarks that have been captured, and i think the problem for Gillian Keegan is that it kind of reinforced, by saying it has nothing to do with me, im doing very well in addressing this, and it is complicated, because it is another crisis when the question of who is in charge applies. Local authorities, and government. But in the end, in britain, Central Government tends to be responsible and accountable. So, they ought to sort this out, and it is all very well rishi sunak saying he commissioned more school building, but the points being made by the senior official of the Department For Education was it was nowhere near enough. It was a cut on the original plan, and this resistance to investing in Capital Spending is a sort of ideological mission. He would say as chancellor he was then bothered about addressing the deficit after the pandemic, and wouldnt do any of these things. But this is the problem that now arises, and i think it is a problem for rishi sunak, but Gillian Keegan has made the matter worse by doing this off the cuff stuff, which torments those who get caught. She will be in agonies over it. Is those who get caught. She will be in agonies over it. Agonies over it. Is there a twin wider problem agonies over it. Is there a twin wider problem as agonies over it. Is there a twin wider problem as well agonies over it. Is there a twin wider problem as well that agonies over it. Is there a twin wider problem as well that it l wider problem as well that it becomes a metaphorfor a malaise, but also, they still dont know, the government, that the scale of what they are talking about even within schools, let alone the wider sector of housing, hospitals, Oranything Else . Of housing, hospitals, or anything else . ,. , of housing, hospitals, or anything else . ,. ,. , else . Yes, and there are now reports that various else . Yes, and there are now reports that various other else . Yes, and there are now reports that various other buildings else . Yes, and there are now reports that various other buildings will that various other buildings will have to be closed as well, so the scale of it is not fully known, and the unknown is terrifying for ministers. But as i say, they have had plenty of warning, certainly in relation to schools and other buildings indeed, that this might become an issue, but there was a reluctance to plan and spend and invest in the appropriate moments. And now, they are running to catch up. And there is the sense that nothing is working, which. We will come away. Nothing is working, which. We will come away, because nothing is working, which. We will come away, because the nothing is working, which. We will come away, because the educationl come away, because the Education Secretary is arriving at the dispatch box. To secretary is arriving at the dispatch box. Secretary is arriving at the dispatch box. Secretary is arriving at the disatch box. ,. , dispatch box. To respond to the risk of raac. Before dispatch box. To respond to the risk of raac. Before i dispatch box. To respond to the risk of raac. Before i go dispatch box. To respond to the risk of raac. Before i go into dispatch box. To respond to the risk of raac. Before i go into the of raac. Before i go into the specifics, i want to be clear that nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that poses an immediate risk, we have taken immediate action. Parents and children have been looking forward to starting the u turn, and i understand the timing of this change in guidance toward schools and colleges will of course concern and disruption. It faced with recent cases, including one that in most right at the end of the school holidays, i believe 100 this is the right thing to do, and that is why we have taken such rapid steps to support our schools and colleges. There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in england, and the vast majority of them are unaffected by raac. Localauthorities majority of them are unaffected by raac. Local authorities and Academy Trusts are responsible for these buildings, but we have been supporting schools and colleges to insure risks resulting from raac are mitigated. To date, 52 schools and colleges have these mitigations in place. The majority have been able to continue to provide face to face learning without any disruption. We remain in contact with them. Last week, we advised a further 104 schools and colleges to take spaces that are known to contain raac out of use, if they have not already done so. The majority of these settings will remain open for face to face learning on the existing site, because only a small part of each site is affected. A minority of pupils will be fully partially relocated to alternative accommodation to continue fa ce to fa ce accommodation to continue face to face learning, while mitigations are put in place. Madam deputy speaker, i want to reassure parents and children that we are taking a deliberately cautious approach to prioritising childrens safety. Because of our proactive questionnaire and Surveying Programme, we have a better understanding of where raac is on schools, then in most other countries. All schools and colleges that have advice as they suspect they might have raac will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases, in a few days. Most suspected cases will not have raac. So far, when we have surveyed schools, around two thirds of suspected cases do not have raac. We will follow the same approach of any new cases through the professional Surveying Programme. The vast majority of schools will be unaffected, and children should attend school as normal, unless parents are contacted by their school. As my right honourable friend, the minister per schools, expend on friday, we will publish a list of schools once mitigations are in place. Explained on friday. It is right that parents are informed by schools if they are impacted, and that schools have time to work with the caseworker from the Department For Educatio