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No analysis has been carried out in respect of housing or other specific future land uses for unquantifiable potential surplus land and estate disposals. The Scottish Government is required by the Scottish Public Finance Manual to demonstrate best value. In doing so, it continually keeps its estate requirements under review to ensure that staff have the right places to work delivering services to the people of Scotland. Where any Scottish Government owned land or estate is released all options for demonstrating best value in doing so are considered on a case-by case basis.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23762 on 19 December 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

In line with its commitment to meet three times a year, the Housing to 2040 Strategic Board has met two further times (29 June and 25 October) since it first met on 22 March 2023.

To date, the low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme has allocated £26,732,792 to 33 projects bringing persistent vacant and derelict land back into use.

The low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) has invested £6,258,299 into projects which include new low carbon affordable housing as part of their project proposal. This is 23% of the total £26.7 million of funding which has been allocated to date.

The low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme has invested in 33 projects bringing back just over 112 hectares of persistent vacant and derelict land back into use.

The Innovative Finance Steering Group last met in December 2022. There are no formal meetings of the Group currently planned. The further operation of the group will be reviewed following the budget.

The cumulative cost of the Fairer Council Tax Consultation is £48,039.52. This relates only to the cost of publishing the Fairer Council Tax consultation, and the cost of an independent third party to analyse the consultation responses.

The Scottish Government does not hold information which breaks down the staff cost, or staff time, that was committed to the delivery of the Fairer Council Tax Consultation.

The Council Tax Team and Local Taxation Unit, and analysts that supported the delivery of the consultation, work across a number of aspects of Local Tax policy and their time cannot be disaggregated from other demands. Approximately nine members of staff contributed to this work.

The Scottish Government is defined by three distinct and interdependent missions centred on the principles of equality, opportunity and community: to tackle poverty; to build a fair, green and indeed a growing economy; and to improve our public services. In that context, the Minister for Housing’s specific responsibilities are:

• Affordable Housing Supply Programme
• Housing to 2040 strategy
• homelessness and rough sleeping
• cladding remediation
• welfare and debt advice
• regulation of existing housing systems