Seòmar agus comataidhean

I have asked Angiolina Foster Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

Local authoritiesthat have submitted Standard Delivery Plans (SDPs), setting out how they will achievethe Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS), plan to invest approximately £1.94billion by 2015. This figure is in 2004-05 prices and is based on individual localauthorities’ interpretations of the Standard and assessment of investment needs.

The breakdown of plannedSHQS investment by local authority is as follows:

Local Authority	Total Expenditure to Meet SHQS (£000)
Aberdeen City Council	210,752
Aberdeenshire Council	115,084
Angus Council	10,405
Clackmannanshire Council	15,307
Dundee City Council	133,760
East Ayrshire Council	91,759
East Dunbartonshire Council	38,019
East Lothian Council	131,485
East Renfrewshire Council	40,191
Falkirk Council	124,796
Fife Council	200,420
Midlothian Council	34,534
Moray Council	7,382
North Ayrshire Council	147,474
North Lanarkshire Council	237,317
Orkney Islands Council	5,066
Perth and Kinross Council	53,729
Shetland Islands Council	6,777
South Ayrshire Council	65,712
South Lanarkshire Council	213,000
West Lothian Council	55,350
Total Expenditure	1,941,328

 

Local authoritiesthat have transferred their stock to housing associations (Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Eilean Siar and Argyll and Bute),or that are in the process of doing so (Inverclyde) are not required to submit anSDP. Stirling, Renfrewshire, Highland, Edinburgh and West Dunbartonshire Councilsare currently developing their SDPs which will include details of their plannedSHQS related investment.

Voluntary sector organisationsare independent of government.

Ministers are clearthat all costs for providing a service should be met, and that the third sectorshould not subsidise, or be expected to subsidise, public services.

We are committed toworking with the sector and local government to ensure all are aware of the consequencesof not providing for full cost recovery.

The Independent Reviewof Scrutiny, led by Professor Lorne Crerar, is examining how regulation, audit,inspection and complaints are functioning in Scotland’s public services. The review is developing recommendations for a bettersystem of scrutiny which should reduce the burden of regulation on third sectorbodies which deliver such services.

Voluntary sector employersare independent of government. Staff terms and conditions are a matter for staffand the employer, within the boundaries of employment law.

Local authoritiesare fully funded to provide services at local level and all organisations shouldbe paid the costs for delivering any given service.

We recognise the importantcontribution that third sector bodies can make in delivering public services. Inmany areas they are already substantial suppliers of service. Overall, it is clearthey have capacity to do more and we are considering work to improve commissioningby local authorities and public bodies which should enable third sector bodies toplay their full part.

Organisations shouldbe paid the full costs for providing a service, and we expect local authoritiesand third sector organisations to conduct suitable negotiations for service deliverythat take all costs into account.

We support the principlesof the Scottish Compact, which was explicit that Government should apply best practicein funding and in the administration of grants. We support the practice ofthree-year funding for the voluntary sector across the public sector and encouragethe use of longer term funding agreements, where possible, to provide a stable andefficient operating environment for the sector.

Within that context,we are considering what more can be done to enable local authorities and voluntaryorganisations to develop contracts which ensure effective delivery of services whilenot jeopardising the sustainability of the service provider.

As stated in responseto answer to question S3W-1134 on 26 June 2007 the Scottish Government will discuss these issues withstakeholders, taking account of information gathered from annual outcome and progressreports submitted by local authorities, homelessness statistics and other data sources.These will include the sources set out in the Statement on Abolition of PriorityNeed published in December 2005 under section 3 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2005.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.