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No notifications have been received by the Building Standards Division since the April 2021 update to the Building Standards Technical Handbooks.

We will legislate to bring into force the remaining outstanding tenant farming provisions, contained within Part 10 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, including section 99 – removing the requirement for tenant farmers to register an interest in the pre-emptive right to buy, during this Parliament.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.

There are currently no plans to use landlord registration to identify beneficiaries of private rented sector properties. The purpose of landlord registration is to ensure the owner is a fit and proper person to let houses and that the properties meet certain safety requirements. We are, however, looking to review this system and identify opportunities for strengthening the registration regime, and would encourage respondents to our New Deal for Tenants consultation to highlight examples of how that strengthening might be done.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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.