An in-principle agreement has been reached with housing developers on the removal of unsafe cladding from buildings, the Scottish Government has said.
The deal, which includes the industry body Homes for Scotland, could lead to companies which built the properties paying for the cladding work to be remediated.
A number of fire safety regulation changes were made in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, including a ban on combustible cladding for high-rise buildings.
The latest agreement was revealed in a written answer to a parliamentary question, first reported in The Scotsman.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan said discussions had taken place around a Scottish Safer Buildings Accord, adding: “We have now reached an in-principle agreement with Homes for Scotland and a number of those wave one developers on the Accord.
“This is an important step in the process.
“We will now move to agree the long form legally-binding contract to support the remediation of developer-linked buildings with unsafe cladding.”
McLennan said the government was “determined” to remove unsafe cladding and ministers will also consider whether new legislation is needed to protect homeowners.
Opposition parties at Holyrood have previously called for faster action in removing unsafe cladding from residential buildings.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government will keep parliament updated on progress and will be doing so as part of Mr McLennan’s upcoming appearance at the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.
“We will continue to explore legislative options to safeguard residents and homeowners.”
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