- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 23 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10165 by Shona Robison on 19 August 2022, what (a) assessment, (b) feasibility studies and (c) survey activity it has conducted to determine the number of buildings of 11 metres and over that will require (i) assessment for and (ii) remediation of combustible cladding.
Answer
The work of the cladding remediation programme will gather data as it progresses with Single Building Assessments. This information will be used to build a reliable register of information as set out in the Ministerial Working Group on Mortgage Lending and cladding report in March 2021.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 23 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10165 by Shona Robison on 19 August 2022, how many buildings over 11 metres it estimates are affected by combustible cladding.
Answer
As part of the cladding remediation programme we will take a building-by-building approach to assess and gather this information to create a central register. This will include buildings over 11 metres. We expect the majority of buildings to be low risk and require limited or no intervention.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure the delivery of the social homes it has committed to provide, including how it will overcome any challenges to doing so.
Answer
£3.6 billion of funding is being made available in this Parliamentary term towards the delivery of affordable homes providing the certainty and assurance that the housing sector needs to plan and deliver the ambitious affordable homes programme.
We are aware of the global issues affecting construction which are impacting affordable housing delivery. We are working closely with the construction industry and housing partners to mitigate these where possible.
We have now started to deliver against our commitment to 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which at least 70% will be available for social rent and 10% will be in our remote, rural and island communities.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to deliver the first half of its affordable housing programme, including at least 38,500 homes for social rent, by 2026-27, as first outlined in Housing to 2040 and expanded in the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Shared Policy Programme.
Answer
Housing to 2040 outlined that we would focus the first five years (up to 2026-27) on delivering 50,000 homes and the latter five years (up to 2031-32) on delivering a further 50,000 homes. The overall target includes at least 70% for social rent to be delivered by 2032. The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party - Shared Policy Programme increased that target to 110,000 affordable homes, but did not set a specific revised mid-point target.
We will carry out a review at the mid-point of this target period to assess if plans should continue unchanged or be adapted. This will be important to support local authorities, who are key in this process and currently plan for housing through their Local Housing Strategies on a five-yearly cycle.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government on 12 May 2022 on cladding remediation, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding funding for the removal of combustible materials in Scotland, and on what dates any such discussions were held.
Answer
Officials are engaged in regular discussion with Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities colleagues on a number of matters including the block grant expenditure and the possibility of further funding for cladding remediation. The Inter Ministerial Group, which last met in May this year, agreed that official level engagement on areas of policy of mutual interest on cladding safety would be increased. The next Inter Ministerial Group will meet again in Autumn where matters of building and fire safety and finance will be discussed.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Management of Summary Cause Proceedings Housing Scotland Act 2001 guidance note, published on 1 July 2022, and what assessment it has made of any potential impact of the guidance note on (a) legislation and policy regarding evictions and (b) the rights of (i) tenants and (ii) landlords.
Answer
The courts and judiciary are independent of Government. Operational court matters including the management of summary cause proceedings are a matter for them. It is for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service itself to assess the impact of any changes in its guidance relating to summary cause proceedings, including any impact on the rights of both tenants and landlords.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions or consultation it had with the
sheriffs principal regarding the Management of Summary Cause Proceedings
Housing Scotland Act 2001 guidance note prior to its publication on 1 July
2022; whether the sheriffs principal have advised it of the business case for
the changes; what assessment it has made of the estimated number of actions,
claimants and respondents that may be affected, and what estimates it has made
of the costs and benefits of the changes.
Answer
We have had no discussions with the Sheriffs Principal regarding the Management of Summary Cause Proceedings Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 guidance note prior to its publication on 1 July 2022. The courts and judiciary are independent of Government. As such the Government has no role in the development of guidance issued by Sheriffs Principal. It is up to the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service itself to assess the business case for any changes it makes.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the third iteration of the High Rise Inventory (HRI) data set as discussed at the June 2022 meeting of Building and Fire Safety Working Group, whether officials have provided further advice to ministers and developed communications on the reasoning for the pause to the HRI; if so, whether ministers have considered that advice; if so, what the outcome was of that consideration, and when a final ministerial decision will be publicised.
Answer
The HRI is a central source of information on key aspects of the construction and fire safety features of high rise domestic blocks; this information was not previously collected or published prior to 2020. The second report was published on 8 November 2021 and there were minimal changes to the inventory following a further year of data collection. The frequency of further data collection is currently under review. It is likely that this data will be integrated within a Register of Safe Buildings, which is being created as part of the Cladding Remediation Programme.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what actions it has undertaken to overcome challenges such as workforce and material shortages and rising costs, to ensure that the social homes it has committed to provide are delivered.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10637 on 22 September 2022. 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
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Home Owners' Support Fund Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme, what the (a) total and (b) average equity stakes taken was, and how many stakes have been taken, in each year of operation.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10239 on 7 September 2022 which shows there has been no spend under Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) during the last six years. The most recent MTSE application was in 2015. The table below shows the total and average spend under MTSE and the number of MTSE cases that settled between 2010-11 and 2015-16.