Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-28048

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many council tenants have been subject to eviction proceedings in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

Annual statistics on the number of local authority housing eviction actions are published on the Housing Statistics section of the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-management-of-local-authority-housing/ .

The statistics are sourced from annual housing statistics forms collected from local authorities, which includes information on the number of cases in which a notice of proceedings has been issued, for each year between 2009-10 and 2018-19.

Question reference: S5W-28047

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many council tenants have been evicted due to rent arrears in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

Annual statistics on the number of local authority housing eviction actions are published on the Housing Statistics section of the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-management-of-local-authority-housing/ .

The statistics are sourced from annual housing statistics forms collected from local authorities, which includes information on the number of cases in which an eviction action has been carried out as a result of rent arrears for each year between 2009-10 and 2018-19. The statistics also include the number of cases resulting in an abandoned dwelling following eviction actions due to rent arrears.

Question reference: S5W-27456

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is providing additional funding to NHS (a) Ayrshire and Arran and (b) Greater Glasgow and Clyde to deal with the threat of coronavirus, and, if so, how much.

Question reference: S5W-27474

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been classed as unlawfully at large in each month since July 2017, and how many are currently unlawfully at large.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

Table 1 details the number of instances where a period of Unlawfully at Large (UAL) was started on SPS’ Prisoner Records System (PR2) in each month since July 2017.

An individual may assume UAL status in the following circumstances:

When not in custody, it will be when their licence has been revoked. Historically on most occasions this has been as a result of failure to comply with Home Detention Curfew (HDC) conditions;

When a person has escaped from custody;
Where a person has failed to return on time from a period of temporary release;
Where a person has been liberated in error; or
Where a warrant has been granted to apprehend and imprison a person who is not immediately brought to custody

Month	2017	2018	2019	2020
January		28	7	3
February		16	4	1
March		27	4
April		24	5
May		29	1
June		28	1
July	27	29	4
August	31	28	1
September	26	30	1
October	27	17	0
November	19	13	2
December	17	8	0

Please note that on a number of the occasions identified in the table, the individuals were returned to custody on the same day that they were recorded as being UAL. In the main, these types of cases arise following a breach of Home Detention Curfew.

Revised HDC guidance was issued in Autumn 2018 which had an impact on the number of individuals being released on Home Detention Curfew. The reduction in the number of UAL periods recorded on PR2 is as a direct result of the reduction in the number of individuals being released on Home Detention Curfew.

There are currently 2 individuals who are UAL from SPS custody. These are both historic cases with one from 1994 and the other in 2005, and neither of these are as result of breaching Home Detention Curfew conditions.

Question reference: S5W-27477

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the reported increase in homeless deaths.

One person being made homeless is one too many and that is why the Scottish Government is working in partnership with local authorities and a range of stakeholders to transform services to ensure our system supports those at risk.

While this report is based on experimental statistics which represent a best estimate, its findings will help the Scottish Government to further understand the many issues affecting the most vulnerable in our society and will help us as we redouble our efforts to eradicate homelessness and its causes, in Scotland.

The report highlights that there are similar problems across the UK, with the rate rising more rapidly in England and Wales. There were an estimated 195 homeless deaths registered in Scotland in 2018, an increase of 19% on the estimate of 164 in 2017. This figure increased by 22% in England and Wales in the same period and comes at a time of austerity imposed by the UK Government.

Question reference: S5W-27478

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent homeless deaths.

We have committed a £50 million Ending Homelessness Together Funds to deliver the actions recommended by the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group. Given the crucial role of getting people into settled housing as quickly as possible, £32.5 million of this fund has been invested in ending homelessness through the delivery of Rapid Rehousing and Housing First in partnership with local authorities. This includes £24 million over 3 years for Rapid Rehousing for local authorities, £2 million to help them develop Transition Plans and £6.5 million for Housing First pathfinders work.

Housing First supports people with more complex needs, such as addiction and mental health issues, by providing them with a mainstream tenancy with wrap around support. We have also invested over £70 million in the last financial year to help reduce the harms caused by alcohol and drug addiction, including £20 million over the next 2 years to support local services to address drug deaths and provide targeted support for those facing severe and multiple disadvantage. This year, our investment in mental health increased by £27 million from £70.2 million in 2018-19 to £97.5 million – up nearly 39%.

We are doing all this in the face of the UK Government’s welfare cuts and are continuing to do all we can to mitigate against the worst impact of these cuts in Scotland. Last year we invested over £1.4 billion to support low income households and will continue to push the UK Government to reverse this.

Question reference: S5W-27476

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the National Records of Scotland report, Homeless Deaths 2017 and 2018.

The avoidable death of any vulnerable person is a tragedy. We know the reasons that lead to homelessness can be complicated and whilst we do not want to diminish the tragedy of any loss of life, it is also important that we are clear what these statistics show.

They do not represent people dying as a result of being homeless, rather they set out the reasons why people who have suffered from homelessness have died. They highlight that many people who have died while experiencing homelessness often struggle with complex life challenges, including addiction and poor mental and physical health.

That is why the Scottish Government is working in partnership with a range of stakeholders to transform services to ensure our system supports those at risk and to prevent, tackle and end homelessness altogether.

Question reference: S5W-27479

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with West Dunbartonshire Council regarding homeless deaths.

The Scottish Government continues to engage with all local authorities to develop and implement their Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTPs) to ensure everyone is supported into settled housing as quickly as possible.

Part of these plans include the implementation of the Housing First approach, which supports people with more complex needs, such as addiction and mental health issues, by providing them with a mainstream tenancy with wrap around support. This is something that West Dunbartonshire are taking forward through their RRTP and their Homelessness Prevention and Temporary Accommodation Strategy 2017-20.

Their strategy, entitled “More than a Roof”, focuses on prevention and ensures that their transition to Rapid Rehousing and Housing First supports early housing interventions and reduces the overall demand on health services. This was a clear ask of each local authority when we began supporting Councils to develop and implement their RRTPs. We will continue to work in collaboration with West Dunbartonshire Council to help them tackle homelessness and its causes through their Housing Solutions Partnership Group.

Question reference: S5O-04187

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve transport links in West Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-04146

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to improve employment levels and economic growth.

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