Cole-Hamilton challenges First Minister on miserable cladding progress

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP challenged John Swinney over the SNP’s miserable progress in tackling dangerous cladding, as new figures revealed that the Scottish Government has removed cladding from just 3 buildings.

The Scottish Government can provide funding for checks known as Single Building Assessments (SBAs) for buildings which may have dangerous cladding.

These checks evaluate the risk to human life of any cladding that is found. They can then result in work being carried out to remove the cladding.

New figures estimate that as of March 2026:

• Scottish Government funded SBAs are underway for just 149 buildings, despite 946 buildings identified as likely to be eligible for funding, just 10 more than in April.
• Only 16 Scottish Government funded SBAs had been completed, which had not changed since September 2025.
• The Cladding Remediation Programme was aware that remediation work was underway in just 3 buildings.

Speaking in the chamber, Alex said:

“This week marks the 9th anniversary of the Grenfell fire.

“I know all of our thoughts are with those who lost their lives in that tragedy and with those who survived it.

“The Humanity for Grenfell group are still campaigning for people living in cladded flats. And they are right to do so.

“Nearly a decade on from Grenfell, too many people are lying awake at night, wondering if their home might be at risk.

“Across Scotland, there are almost 1,000 buildings suspected of having dangerous cladding.

“So, can I ask the First Minister why new figures out this week reveal his government has only got round to investigating 149 of them and, staggeringly, why cladding removal is underway in only 3 buildings in this country?”

He went on to say:

“We are nearly 10 years on from Grenfell.

“The response we’ve just heard will come as no comfort whatsoever for those people who cannot insure or sell their homes.

“People are in fear of their lives. They just want to know if their homes are safe.

“The UK Government gave his ministers £100 million to conduct these cladding assessments.

“Money is not the problem; the lack of urgency is. It appears not a single building has been checked in the past six months.

“More than two years ago, this chamber passed the Cladding Remediation Bill. Ministers, ironically, said that this would speed up this process.

“So, can I ask the First Minister, will he get a grip on this, will he guarantee that by the time we reach the tenth anniversary of Grenfell, every single one of these vital checks will have taken place?”