Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government published our Infrastructure Investment Plan in 2021 which sets out our national infrastructure priorities for Scotland. The Plan recognises the important role that housing plays in developing resilient and sustainable places, supporting economic growth and meeting the diverse economic, social and environmental needs of urban, rural and island areas.

We will continue to work across the Scottish Government and with local and UK Government to respond to the Housing Emergency and to deliver on our target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of investment in housing to underpin quality, supply and affordability in the private rented sector, and is very clear that continuing to attract private investment is a priority to maintain the vital supply of new homes for rent that our communities need. We want to see a fair, well-managed private rented sector in which investment in quality rented homes for tenants is both viable and welcome.

Given the diversity of rent conditions across Scotland, our Housing Bill allows flexibility for local circumstance to be the guiding factor in applying rent control measures. We recognize this needs to be balanced by certainty where possible.

We are considering the information shared by stakeholders on how to support investor confidence, as we look to ensure that the rent control measures in the Housing (Scotland) Bill support investment in a quality, affordable and thriving PRS.

Ministers will continue to listen to parliamentary and stakeholder views.

The Scottish Government provided local authorities with funding of £8 million per annum between 2019-24 to implement Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTPs). RRTPs set out each local authority’s five-year plan to transition to rapid rehousing, including through the delivery of Housing First.

In recognition of the positive impact of rapid rehousing for people experiencing homelessness and the challenging context in which RRTPs have been delivered, including a pandemic and cost of living crisis, the Scottish Government provided a one-year extension to this funding in 2024-25.

The Scottish Government evaluates the impact of RRTP funding via annual local authority monitoring returns. Future funding will be considered as part of the Scottish Government’s usual budget setting processes.

I recently met with Housing Convenors across Scotland to discuss the challenges that have contributed to longer turnaround times for empty council properties, delays in reconnecting energy supplies was one of the key issues raised.

Although energy is a reserved matter, Scottish Ministers imminently intend to send a joint letter with COSLA to individual energy suppliers on the impacts delays in reconnecting utilities is having on void turnaround times. This will be followed by official level engagement with energy suppliers over the summer.

The declaration of a housing emergency asks all partners to play their part, therefore, I hope organisations in the energy sector heed this call to action and respond quickly and satisfactorily to the concerns local authorities have raised.

We will continue to work with local authorities and registered social landlords to help reduce turnaround times for empty homes and voids and will support efforts at a national level where we can to address this problem.

The Scottish Government continues to assess how we best share our data with partners. The Scottish Government publishes quarterly housing statistics on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme covering approvals, starts and completions by tenure and build form.

Between 2020 and 2023 the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations worked in partnership with the Scottish Government to administer the Homelessness Prevention Fund.

The time-limited fund, which ended in December 2023, provided a total of £1.5 million to support the work of housing associations across the country to prevent homelessness for low-income families in Scotland.

We have not extended this particular scheme as the work required to end homelessness has evolved. In particular, the commitment to introduce new homelessness prevention duties points to the need for more targeted funding fully aligned with the aims of the legislation.

Transport Scotland has invested £86,956,343 on maintenance and improvement of the A83 between financial years 2016-17 and 2023-24. This figure is up to March 2024.

This is broken down in the following table.

We know that registered social landlords are uniquely placed as housing providers to identify and assist people at risk of homelessness, building on existing housing management practice and the delivery of housing support.

There is already good practice happening across the country by social landlords. Their services, such as tenancy sustainment, are already key features of their work with tenants. We want to build on this so there is a consistent, robust and sector wide approach to prevention across Scotland.

We make a significant annual investment in discretionary housing payments (over £90 million in 2024-25) to help people who are struggling with housing costs to remain in their homes. We also have a multi-year fund of £100 million to deliver actions in our homelessness strategy, the Ending Homelessness Together action plan, which has prevention at its heart.

This year's budget is the most challenging since devolution. For that reason, our preference is for any available money to be targeted at areas which are experiencing specific pressures, particularly where there is sustained use of temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government are working with COSLA to develop a targeted approach.

The Scottish Government wants to see a reduction in the number of households with children in temporary accommodation and works closely with local authority partners to ensure their Strategic Housing Investment Plans reflect their identified priorities including high quality homes for larger families where these are required. Homes for larger families can be supported through a variety of routes including new build and acquisitions of existing properties.

We are investing almost £600 million in the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2024-25, which includes up to £40 million for acquisitions announced in April this year, and a further £40 million next year. This additional £80 million investment in acquisitions offers another option to secure larger family homes where they are needed and will help reduce the time spent in temporary accommodation, including by children. This £80 million builds on the success of our National Acquisition Programme which has invested more than £83 million in 2023-24 and delivered almost 1,500 affordable homes.