- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 18 November 2021
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support tenants, in light of University of Glasgow research indicating that around a quarter of private tenants are in arrears, totalling around £126 million.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 18 November 2021
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it released the £0.5 million funding to Care and Repair Scotland for the purpose of supporting older and disabled homeowners on low incomes to install fire and smoke alarms that are compliant with the new standard, and on what date those funds were released to local care and repair services.
Answer
A grant of £0.5 million was offered to Care and Repair on 28 July 2021, for the purpose of supporting older and disabled homeowners on low incomes to install fire and smoke alarms that are compliant with the new standard. Following completion of necessary governance process, the grant was paid to Care and Repair Scotland on 24 September 2021. Care and Repair Scotland have advised the Scottish Government that this funding was allocated to local Care and Repair services, subject to bids for funding, between 28 September and 4 October 2021.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 October 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has stopped routinely collecting statistical information on notifications of repossession and eviction action under section 11 of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003, and, if so, (a) when it stopped collecting this information, (b) for what reason it stopped and (c) whether it has considered recommencing regular collection and publication of these notifications.
Answer
The Scottish Government has stopped collecting statistical information on section 11 notifications.
The decision to cease the collection of this information was implemented in 2013, in agreement with the Homelessness Statistics User Group . The last national statistics publication which held data on Section 11 notifications was “Operation of the Homeless Persons legislation in Scotland: 2012-13” which can be found in our archived web page here .
Collection of this information was ceased due to data quality concerns. These included issues such as double reporting and inconsistencies in how information was reported across local authorities and amongst lenders.
The on-going homelessness data review is considering the strength of demand for, and feasibility of collecting, data related to homelessness and homelessness prevention. Data related to section 11 notifications will be considered as part of this review.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable housing supply programme approvals in each year since 2016-17 were given an estimated completion date at tender stage.
Answer
When affordable housing supply programme projects are submitted to the Scottish Government for approval an estimated completion date will have been provided. Details on approvals by financial year can be found in our published statistics at the following link, in the table ‘Affordable Housing Supply Programme Summary Tables – new style’ .
https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 October 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable housing supply programme approvals that were agreed (a) before and (b) on or since 1 April 2020 have (i) not started, (ii) started and (iii) been completed.
Answer
The following table outlines the total number of Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) approvals since April 2016 to the end of June 2021. These approvals are broken down by their current status; not started, currently on site, completed, and those that were approved but have subsequently now been withdrawn from the programme.
Financial Year | Total Homes Approved | Current Status as at end of June 2021 |
Not Started | Currently on Site | Completed | Withdrawn |
2016-17 | 10,361 | 14 | 236 | 10,022 | 89 |
2017-18 | 11,677 | 130 | 3,317 | 8,006 | 224 |
2018-19 | 11,130 | 360 | 3,784 | 6,941 | 45 |
2019-20 | 12,886 | 1,240 | 7,765 | 3,777 | 104 |
2020-21 | 7,882 | 1,277 | 4,487 | 2,118 | 0 |
2021-22* | 1,063 | 271 | 423 | 369 | 0 |
Total | 54,999 | 3,292 | 20,012 | 31,233 | 462 |
*figures to end of June (Q1) only |
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £1 million funding provided though the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service over the period 2018-20 to install fire and smoke alarms that are compliant with the new standard in the homes of people assessed to be at high risk from fire as part of a home fire safety visit, how much of the funding has been spent, and whether any remaining funding has been reallocated to current or future schemes for the same purpose.
Answer
In relation to the funding provided to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service from Scottish Government, all of the funding was spent in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial year.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 October 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable housing supply programme approvals that had an estimated completion date at tender stage now have a revised completion date in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22.
Answer
Completions dates for housing projects change on a regular basis for a variety of reasons and overwrite previous estimated dates. We are therefore unable to advise on the exact number of approvals where completion dates have been revised.
Due to the pandemic, construction was paused for three months in 2020-21 followed by a phased re-opening of sites in compliance with COVID guidance and restrictions. That impact has now been compounded by the current difficulties with the rising cost of materials and shortages in supplies and labour.
As a result and, based on management information, at the end of 2020-21 there were 9,017 less affordable homes delivered than were originally estimated to be completed at the start of 2020-21 and the estimated completions for 2021-22 have decreased by 267 since the start of this financial year.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 October 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the (a) number of units to which the rent applied and (b) average forecast yield above the benchmark for each registered social landlord that has applied to raise rents by over (i) 5% and (ii) 10% in each of the last five years.
Answer
Rents for social rented homes should not be set without regard to the importance of affordability for tenants. The Scottish Government therefore considers the proposed rents for Registered Social Landlord social rented homes at the point of first let as part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant assessment process.
Applications from Registered Social Landlords for grant funding to deliver projects through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme at tender stage contain information on any projected rent levels at the date of completion which are more than 5% above the relevant social rent benchmark published by the Scottish Government.
Information on the number of units which were approved at tender stage which contained Registered Social Landlord projected rent levels at the point of completion which exceeded the relevant social rent benchmark by more than 5% began to be collected in 2018-19.
The following table shows the number of units approved at tender stage – by Registered Social Landlord – where the projected rent levels at the date of completion were more than 5% and up to 10% above, and more than 10% above, the relevant social rent benchmark. The table also shows – by Registered Social Landlord – the average forecast yield above benchmark (calculated as the weighted average of the rent as a percentage above benchmark) where the projected rent levels at the date of completion were more than 5% and up to 10% above, and more than 10% above, the relevant social rent benchmark.
| | Projected rent levels more than 5% and up to 10% above benchmark | Projected rent levels more than 10% above benchmark |
Number of units approved at tender stage | Average forecast yield above benchmark | Number of units approved at tender stage | Average forecast yield above benchmark |
2018-19 | | | | |
Angus Housing Association | 5 | 7.52% | - | - |
Cassiltoun Housing Association | - | - | 20 | 11.01% |
Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association | 10 | 7.00% | 27 | 12.80% |
Cunninghame Housing Association | 59 | 6.98% | - | - |
Dunedin Canmore Housing Association | 28 | 5.34% | 48 | 14.31% |
East Lothian Housing Association | 14 | 9.00% | 8 | 10.53% |
Eildon Housing Association | 4 | 7.25% | 2 | 10.33% |
Elderpark Housing Association | 16 | 7.16% | - | - |
Fyne Homes | - | - | 12 | 15.42% |
Glasgow West Housing Association | 29 | 9.73% | 32 | 14.06% |
Hillcrest Housing Association | 2 | 8.59% | - | - |
Home Group | 8 | 7.24% | - | - |
Kingdom Housing Association | 10 | 6.05% | - | - |
Waverley Housing | 1 | 5.82% | - | - |
West Highland Housing Association | 2 | 6.25% | - | - |
West Lothian Housing Partnership | 44 | 9.36% | - | - |
West of Scotland Housing Association | 15 | 5.71% | - | - |
2019-20 | | | | |
Albyn Housing Association | 1 | 5.77% | 10 | 15.42% |
Almond Housing Association | 5 | 9.06% | 1 | 13.21% |
Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association | 8 | 5.64% | 15 | 12.71% |
Cunninghame Housing Association | 36 | 8.52% | - | - |
Dunedin Canmore Housing Association | 26 | 9.25% | 23 | 16.44% |
East Lothian Housing Association | - | - | 2 | 12.76% |
Eildon Housing Association | 9 | 5.72% | - | - |
Fyne Homes | 2 | 8.85% | 4 | 10.22% |
Hillcrest Housing Association | 14 | 6.02% | 11 | 13.36% |
Home Group | 2 | 6.12% | 22 | 16.20% |
Kingdom Housing Association | 1 | 5.31% | - | - |
Partick Housing Association | 15 | 8.72% | - | - |
Port of Leith Housing Association | 1 | 9.16% | 41 | 16.00% |
West Highland Housing Association | 2 | 6.54% | - | - |
2020-21 | | | | |
Bield Housing Association | - | - | 30 | 16.27% |
Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association | 4 | 7.72% | 16 | 15.85% |
Clyde Valley Housing Association | 17 | 7.69% | - | - |
Cunninghame Housing Association | 56 | 8.18% | - | - |
Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnership | 1 | 9.30% | 1 | 17.38% |
Dunedin Canmore Housing Association | 21 | 6.81% | 101 | 14.79% |
Grampian Housing Association | 63 | 6.83% | 14 | 13.89% |
Hillcrest Housing Association | 1 | 5.54% | 185 | 18.94% |
Home Group | - | - | 69 | 19.54% |
Kingdom Housing Association | 2 | 6.65% | - | - |
Loreburn Housing Association | 13 | 6.67% | 2 | 12.45% |
West Lothian Housing Partnership | 4 | 6.45% | - | - |
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many home purchases it has supported and (b) what total value of funding it has provided as part of the (i) Open Market Shared Equity, (ii) New Supply Shared Equity, (iii) Help to Buy and (iv) First Home Fund programme in each financial year since the programme's inception, also broken down by Scottish Government 6-fold Urban Rural Classification.
Answer
Published information on home purchases and spend across the First Home Fund, Help to Buy, Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity schemes can be found on the Scottish Government website at the following links:
Help to Buy (Scotland)
https://www.gov.scot/policies/homeowners/help-to-buy/
Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity
https://www.gov.scot/policies/more-homes/affordable-housing-supply/
First Home Fund
https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-home-fund-spend-and-units-monitoring-information-report-december-2019-to-march-2021/
The Evaluation of Scottish Government Shared Equity Schemes, which includes the Help to Buy (Scotland), Open Market Shared Equity and the New Supply Shared Equity schemes, was published in June 2020, and includes some information on the profile of buyers using the Scottish Government’s 6-fold urban/rural classification. The attached link provides further information
Shared equity schemes: evaluation reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
The First Home Fund Evaluation includes information on uptake based on the 4-fold Rural & Environmental Science & Analytical Services classification
First Home Fund evaluation: quantitative analysis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
The detailed breakdown by 6-fold Urban Rural Classification is not readily available in the format requested. We will investigate whether it is feasible to provide a full breakdown, given issues such as lags in new postcodes relating to new housing being allocated to the 6-fold urban-rural classification. I will write to the member with the outcome of this work as soon as the exercise has been completed. A copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre, Bib number 62811.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 4 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what loan support it offers homeowners for the purpose of installing a fire and smoke alarm system that is compliant with the new standard.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not provide loans to home owners for the purpose of installing fire alarms that are compliant with the new standard. Local authorities have broad discretionary powers to provide assistance to home owners, in connection with work on private homes, including assistance by way of loans. Local authorities are best placed to determine what types of assistance are provided in their area, subject to local resources and priorities.
We recognise that some owners will have more difficulty, particularly with the option to fit alarms themselves, and we have provided £0.5 million additional funding for Care and Repair Scotland to provide help installing alarms for older and disabled home owners. We have also provided £1 million to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to provide alarms for owners who are considered most vulnerable to the risk of fire.
