How many public buildings use both external aluminium composite material (ACM) and non-ACM flammable cladding systems, and what plans are i…

The Scottish Government does not hold information on this matter for all public buildings. Local Authorities are required to keep building warrant records in Part 2 of the building standards register. Requirements for cladding systems set through building regulations do not require non-combustible cladding on all public buildings. This provision is based upon the level of fire risk associated with a building type and occupancy profile. Employers and persons with control of most public buildings (owners, managing agents, etc) have fire safety responsibilities under Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and associated Regulations and may also hold records of cladding. The risk of fire spread on external walls is only one in a broad range of fire safety elements considered under building and fire safety regulations.
It is important to distinguish between aluminium composite material (ACM) panels that are combustible and ACM panels that have the appropriate resistance to fire. Some buildings will have partial ACM cladding deemed not to constitute a risk to life, following a comprehensive fire risk assessment.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 a data collection exercise on the presence of aluminium composite material (ACM) was undertaken on the following public buildings:Healthcare premises; One hospital confirmed partial cladding with combustible ACM panels that have since been replaced;Prisons; The Scottish Prison Service has confirmed that no Scottish prison has identified the use of ACM panels on any of its buildings.Schools; 30 school buildings under 18m in height were identified as having ACM panels. Local Authorities are responsible for fire safety in their school buildings. All 32 authorities advised that their school buildings were considered safe in terms of fire safety following a review of their fire risk assessments.
High pressure laminate (HPL) is a common type of cladding material also being considered. A data collection exercise on the presence of HPL across a range of building sectors is ongoing but is currently paused due to difficulties with gaining physical access to data as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.