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The legislative framework relating to the reporting duties of the Scottish Tribunals in general, and on the Housing and Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland in particular, are outlined in the previous answer to question S6W-06407.

The Scottish Government is content with the legislative framework and relevant reporting duties on the Scottish Tribunals and has no plans to review these at present.

The Scottish Government gathers data on deployment of zero emissions heat through a variety of channels, including the Scottish House Condition Survey, the Renewable Heat Database, and Energy Performance Certificates, as well as through our own delivery programmes. We already report annual progress through the Climate Change Plan monitoring and evaluation process, and will publish a bespoke Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation framework later this year with details as to how we will consolidate and expand on existing reporting.

The audit will provide enhanced information on where empty properties are located to help determine the prospects of bringing them back into use and enable better targeting and design of future interventions. The scoping exercise is currently underway and we anticipate that the audit will complete in early 2023.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing and evidencing housing need and demand, and setting out through local housing strategies and local development plans the housing requirements for their area. The Scottish Government continues to collaborate with a wide range of housing delivery partners to ensure the delivery of more high quality homes to meet the need of communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government welcomes the focus in the report on the delivery of high quality, accessible homes in sustainable communities and recognition of the broader contribution that housing can play in terms of people's health and well-being.

The Homeowner Feedback Survey and the Home Energy Efficiency Equity Loan Pilot Call for Evidence were published in March this year. The Scottish Government will consider the possibility of a national rollout of such a scheme as part a suite of financial solutions to support our decarbonisation and energy efficiency targets with the Green Heat Finance Taskforce, who will be publishing their interim recommendations in mid-March next year and final recommendations in September 2023.

The Home Energy Efficiency Equity Loan Pilot is now closed to new applicants. The Call for Evidence and Homeowner Feedback Survey conducted last year have ensured that we have captured both the positive and negative impacts of this pilot, as well as gathering potential actions that can be taken to modify and enhance the process to ensure optimal and sustainable outcomes in all aspects of delivery, should the decision be taken to proceed with progressing the pilot to a national scheme in the future.

Priority groups for the Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity schemes were established following discussions with a range of stakeholders. In 2017 people aged 60 and over were included further to a Programme for Government commitment to assist older people to move into accommodation more suited to their needs.

Applications to the schemes are demand led and assessed against the scheme criteria including income. Applicants can often fall into more than one category for example first time buyer and disabled person. Eligibility is not known until assessments have been carried out and this includes whether or not the person is applying as a priority access group.

The Programme is actively supporting 25 blocks through key stages of assessment. As this is a representative-led process the time to completion of each Single Building Assessment cannot be accurately predicted.

Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 are currently being drafted. The intention is to lay these regulations in the Scottish Parliament shortly. The regulations are not retrospective and will apply to new buildings, alterations to existing buildings where new building work is proposed and to certain conversions as specified in the regulations.