And it is important once it had that that the government acted on it i as swiftly as possible. Of course i know thei timing is frustrating. But i want to give people a sense of the scale of what we are grappling with here. There are around 22,000 schools. In england and the important thing to know is we are expecting 95 of those schools will not be impacted by this, i around 50 schools have already been mitigated. Another 100 are in the process of being so. 0ur Expectation is in a matter of weeks the bulk of the remaining schools that will have this issue will be identified as well. Also an important context to know is that in many cases this could be limited to a single classroom i for example, so people should have a sense of scale of what might be happening as well. Earlier, a former top Civil Servant at the Department For Education accused mr sunak and the uk treasury of refusing to fund School Repairs adequately, despite being warned that lives were at risk from crumbling concrete. Jonathan slater spoke earlier on the bbc radios today programme. The Spending Review was completed a year after i left the department, and i was absolutely amazed to see that the decision made by the government was to halve the School Rebuilding programme, down from 100 a year to 50 a year. To be clear then, in the department you were saying we need to rebuild 300 to 400, it became 100 a year. After you left the department it went down to 50 a year . Yes, to be clear, we knew what we needed, 300 to 400. There is only so much capacity in the construction industry, there is disruption if you close schools and rebuild them. So the actual ask in the Spending Review in 2021 was to double the 100 to 200. Thats what we thought was going to be practical in the first instance. I thought wed get it. But the actual decision that the chancellor took in 21 was to halve the size of the programme. Butjust what is the concrete at the centre of this saga . Raac, to give its full name, is reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Its a lightweight concrete that was used in roofs, floors and walls between the 1950s and 1990s. Its a cheaper alternative to standard concrete because its aerated, or bubbly. However, its less durable with a limited life span of around 30 years, and its structural behaviour differs significantly from traditional reinforced concrete. The health and Safety Authority says raac is now beyond its life span and may collapse with little or no notice. To tell us more about it we can speak to chris goodier. Hes a professor of Construction Engineering and materials at loughborough university. Thank you forjoining us, chris. Tell us more about raac. figs thank you forjoining us, chris. Tell us more about raac. As the name su nests it tell us more about raac. As the name suggests it is tell us more about raac. As the name suggests it is made tell us more about raac. As the name suggests it is made in tell us more about raac. As the name suggests it is made in a tell us more about raac. As the name suggests it is made in a pressure suggests it is made in a Pressure Cooker suggests it is made in a Pressure Cooker when it is cast. It is aerated cooker when it is cast. It is aerated and has reinforcement, steel reinforcement which does the bulk of the load reinforcement which does the bulk of the load carrying. But it is concrete. The load carrying. But it is concrete, there is nothing too special concrete, there is nothing too special about the material. You special about the material. You have special about the material. You have some with you, to explain what the concerns are after a certain point in time. I have a piece here, as you can see it is fairly i have a piece here, as you can see it is fairly lightweight, half the density it is fairly lightweight, half the density of water, a quarter of the Weight Density of water, a quarter of the weight of density of water, a quarter of the weight of normal concrete. There is a reinforcement going through which is a criticai a reinforcement going through which is a critical aspect, that is what takes is a critical aspect, that is what takes the is a critical aspect, that is what takes the load. The aerated bit is a distraction. Takes the load. The aerated bit is a distraction, that does not carry the load, distraction, that does not carry the load. It distraction, that does not carry the load. It is distraction, that does not carry the load, it is these steel bars. The problem load, it is these steel bars. The problem we have is back in the 19605 a small problem we have is back in the 19605 a small proportion wa5nt manufactured very well, maybe the bars were manufactured very well, maybe the bars were slightly in the wrong place bars were slightly in the wrong place. When it was installed, this would place. When it was installed, this would be place. When it was installed, this would be a place. When it was installed, this would be a plank, it would be sat on a wall would be a plank, it would be sat on a wall. Sometimes this bearing was not big a wall. Sometimes this bearing was not big enough so it may be sat on a smaller not big enough so it may be sat on a smaller ledge than you would want. That is smaller ledge than you would want. That is the smaller ledge than you would want. That is the main problem. Over 30, 50 years. That is the main problem. Over 30, 50 years. It that is the main problem. Over 30, 50 years, it has not always be maintained well, flat roofs are notorious maintained well, flat roofs are notorious for not being waterproofed or maintained, some have been overloaded, with extra weight. Hence it has overloaded, with extra weight. Hence it has deteriorated faster. That it has deteriorated faster. That is it has deteriorated faster. That is really useful, just showing us how the concrete works with bricks or other structures. One question a lot of viewers will have is, is there nothing that can be done to actually extend its life span or make it good again . It can. The race is on to find where the raac it can. The race is on to find where the raac is it can. The race is on to find where the raac is and assess it. Most raac will be the raac is and assess it. Most raac will be ok the raac is and assess it. Most raac will be ok and can be left and monitored over time. A small proportion will need to be strengthened and this can be fairly straightforward by strengthening as i straightforward by strengthening as i have straightforward by strengthening as i have explained, this crucial part of the i have explained, this crucial part of the structure, you can add localised of the structure, you can add localised strengthening and in some cases localised strengthening and in some cases that localised strengthening and in some cases that will be enough. In other cases cases that will be enough. In other cases you cases that will be enough. In other cases you may need to strengthen the whole cases you may need to strengthen the whole roof cases you may need to strengthen the whole roof underneath with additional steel support. In some cases additional steel support. In some cases it additional steel support. In some cases it may be more economic to take the cases it may be more economic to take the roof off and add a new one. It is case by case assessment, it depends it is case by case assessment, it depends what you are doing inside the room. Depends what you are doing inside the room, how long you want the building the room, how long you want the building to the room, how long you want the building to last. A lot building to last. A lot of parents watching with children at schools that may be at risk, they will want to know if they are found to have raac, how long might it take to remove and replace it, how long might it take to make good, or is it likely some School Buildings could be condemned . I have two primary schoolchildren, they are i have two primary schoolchildren, they are at i have two primary schoolchildren, they are at sacred heart in loughborough. Their school is made of timber. Loughborough. Their school is made of timber, so they are fine on this. Those of timber, so they are fine on this. Those schools with raac, i would say, rest those schools with raac, i would say, rest assured at the moment the dfe has say, rest assured at the moment the dfe has taken a safety first position dfe has taken a safety first position and not send children in until position and not send children in until experts have been sent in to assess until experts have been sent in to assess them. An Engineering Surveyor will assess assess them. An Engineering Surveyor will assess the raac and i do say it is 0k will assess the raac and i do say it is ok because they think it is structurally sound. All it will need strengthening. It will be a small portion strengthening. It will be a small portion of strengthening. It will be a small portion of closed schools that need additional portion of closed schools that need additional strengthening. As i said it depends on the extent of that. If your school it depends on the extent of that. If your school is, well, none of them arent your school is, well, none of them areht new. Your school is, well, none of them arent new, these old schools built in the arent new, these old schools built in the 19605. A decision might be made in the 19605. A decision might be made they in the 19605. A decision might be made they might spend £100,000 on strengthening the corners. It might be let strengthening the corners. It might be let as strengthening the corners. It might be let as spend 200,000 on strengthening the whole roof. It might strengthening the whole roof. It might be strengthening the whole roof. It might be a case of spending 400,000 on putting might be a case of spending 400,000 on putting a new roof on. There figures on putting a new roof on. There figures depend on the size of the School Figures depend on the size of the school as to how long that would take school as to how long that would take it school as to how long that would take. It might not be all the roof, it might take. It might not be all the roof, it might be take. It might not be all the roof, it might be one classroom, it might be the it might be one classroom, it might be the gym, it might be just one room be the gym, it might be just one room and be the gym, it might be just one room and hence it will be very quick to westminster now where we can speak to our Political Correspondent rob watson. We were talking about the comments from the Prime Minister rishi sunak. How much does this development, when he was chancellor at the time, with accusations he did not properly fund dealing with this problem, how much does this lie on his doorstep . It is not massively helpful for him, to state the obvious. The bigger problem is the british voters, where everything in britain is rubbish, transportation, wherever you look, they then ask themselves who has beenin they then ask themselves who has been in powerfor13 years, the conservative party. It is that overall narrative that is probably more problematic for rishi sunak than any arguments over his precise role in whether schools should have this funding or should not have done. What do we know now about how many schools are impacted. The education secretary Gillian Keegan has been on the airwaves today but we still do not have a clear number. We should have a clearer number, she said, by the end of the week. It was last thursday the Department For Education announced there were 150 schools identified as potentially having a problem with raac, and we will get a greater sense of that later. There is a contrast between rishi sunak saying, hang on, remember the scale of this, it is 22,000 schools in england, only 95 of them not affected at all. But then you heard from the senior official saying the Department For Education had asked for the money to start rebuilding and repairing up to 400 schools a year, not the 50 dishes sunak had budgeted for. I go back to the point, the biggest dangerfor the back to the point, the biggest danger for the government is that sense of, goodness, Something Else has gone wrong, who will we blame, the government. What assurances have there been for parents who have children at schools that might be impacted . The general assurance from the schools and Department For Education is what we are doing is being overly cautious. If there is the slightest risk, we want to be aware of that, so that is the approach being taken, and absolute caution first. The point the Opposition Parties have been making is, we have known about this problem for decades, most intensively since 2018, was it acceptable to be closing schools and taking Action Onlyjust now as a school is about to start . There is plenty more on the bbc news website. The mp who was at the centre of a scandal which led to the downfall of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister is facing an eight week suspension from parliament. The british parliaments Standards Committee found former government whip Chris Pincher guilty of an Abuse Of Power and completely inappropriate behaviour, after he was accused of groping two men at a london club last year. His appeal against the ruling was rejected. The Israeli Military has carried out another raid into the city ofjenin, in the occupied west bank. The operation is one of the first of its kind since israel carried out a Military Assault on the refugee camp in the town early injuly. The refugee camp has been established for several decades, and is considered by israel to be a stronghold for militant groups. Palestinian organisations have accused israel of using armed forces to kill civilians there. Turkish president erdogan met with his russian counterpart putin in sochi aiming to persuade him to return to a Ukraine Grain Export deal that helped ease a globalfood crisis. Mr erdogan said the Ukraine Grain Export Corridor was the most important issue in the talks and that the message after the meeting would be a very important step. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets look at some other stories making news. A Bullying Complaint against former cabinet minister Gavin Williamson has been upheld by an expert panel in parliament. Mr williamson who quit the government after the allegations emerged has been told to apologise to the commons. The complaint was made by former government chief whip wendy morton and was related to the allocation of seating at the queens funeral. The parents of a teenager who died after failures in treating her sepsis are calling for patients to be given the right to an urgent Second Opinion if they feel their concerns are not being taken seriously. Martha mills, who would have been 16 today, died two years ago. An inquest said she could have survived had her care been better. Tescos Chief Executive says staff will be offered body cameras because of a rise in violent attacks. Physical assaults have increased by a third since last year and earlier this year British Retail Consortium found abuse against retail staff had almost doubled compared to pre covid levels. Similar action has already been taken by sainsbury� s, waitrose and co op. Youre live with bbc news. Now to ukraine where president zelensky has announced hes replacing the countrys Defence Minister saying its time for a new approach. Oleksii reznikov had been in post since before the start of the full scale russian invasion in february last year. His removal is thought to be part of mr zelensky� s determination to tackle corruption in all government departments. President zelensky has nominated rustem umerov, whos currently in charge of ukraines privatisation programme, as the new Defence Minister. Heres mr zelensky giving that update. Translation this week, the parliament will be asked to make a staff related decision. I would like to outline it now. I have decided to replace the Minister Of Defence of ukraine. Oleksii reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full scale war. I believe the Ministry Needs New approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole. Live now to Mykhailo Samus who is the director of the new Geopolitics Research network. Thank you forjoining us, what do you make of this change in the Defence Ministry . Actually as you heard mr reznikov was appointed before the full scale russian invasion and made a great job of Organising Supply of ukraine with support and weapons from allies and partners and he made a greatjob getting support including armoured vehicles, tanks and missiles. But there have been Journalist Investigations in the Ministry Of Defence over corruption. I think the demand from society that there should be changes in the ministry and i hope the new minister will focus more on the internal organisation of the Ministry Of Defence, conti