DUMBARTON'S constituency MSP has claimed a government programme to replace combustible cladding on some of the area's schools following the Grenfell fire is "in disarray".

Jackie Baillie previously criticised the Scottish Government after it was revealed it had taken four years longer than its counterparts at Westminster to ban cladding deemed "dangerous" after the London tower block tragedy in June 2017, in which 72 people died.

Ms Baillie said that new documents, obtained under freedom of information rules,  raised fresh questions around the programme to replace the cladding, with the delivery confidence assessment being downgraded to 'amber/red' – meaning “successful delivery of the project is in doubt”.

Vale of Leven Academy, and St Patrick’s, Gartocharn and Cardross primaries were built using types of combustible cladding which have been banned as a result of the Grenfell fire.

Ms Baillie said: “These damning documents show that this project is now in total disarray.

“It is really worrying that people’s safety is being compromised with promises being made by ministers that they just can’t keep as this vital programme descends into chaos.

“Having wasted years refusing to ban this dangerous cladding, this essential work is now being threatened once again due to their negligence. It is reckless.

“More than five years on from the Grenfell tragedy, the SNP cannot afford to waste any more time. They must get a group of this mess and make this programme work for people’s safety.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “This programme is not in any way at risk. It is standard government practice to carry out independent scrutiny of large programmes to ensure that they deliver public value and help them succeed. This review recognised that cladding issues cannot be dealt with quickly, and provided eight recommendations which the Scottish Government accepted and has actioned.

“We expect the vast majority of buildings with external cladding to meet Scotland’s stringent safety standards. The majority of Scotland’s schools are built to heights under 11 metres – making them lower risk by design. The Scottish Government will continue to work with local authorities and others to assess and, where necessary, remediate buildings to minimise risk.

“As the housing secretary told Parliament in May, our Single Building Assessment programme has changed since the review was carried out, and has been expanded from 27 to more than 100 buildings, with a new streamlined process for commissioning the assessments to help identify at-risk buildings more quickly. We expect the vast majority of buildings assessed through this programme to be found to be safe.”