Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has only recently begun its consultation, Building standards (fire safety) - external wall systems, on the introduction of a ban on the use of combustible cladding and insulation on the external facades of certain residential high-rise buildings, in light of such a ban being introduced in England in 2018.
The 2018 Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel set up following the Grenfell Tower fire did not support an outright ban on combustible cladding. A further review was intended to address concerns raised by some stakeholders since the fire safety standards were changed on 1 October 2019. The current consultation is being undertaken to consider a ban on the highest risk cladding materials through building regulations, and to review the role of the large scale fire test, BS 8414.