- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 21 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how much Land and Buildings Transaction Tax was paid by (a) registered social landlords, (b) local authorities and (c) the Scottish Ministers since April 2015.
Answer
This is a matter for Revenue Scotland, a non-ministerial department and officeholder in the Scottish Administration, which is responsible for the collection and management of the devolved taxes and publication of related statistics.
Statistics on residential, non-residential and aggregate LBTT revenues are published on a monthly basis by Revenue Scotland on its website.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Wheatley Group since the UK voted to leave the EU regarding its credit downgrade by Standard & Poor's on 6 July 2016.
Answer
I attended a meeting with the Wheatley Housing Group (WHG) on 13 July 2016. At this meeting, the Chief Executive of WHG emphasised that, despite recent changes, the WHG still has a strong credit rating and had enough liquidity to borrow significant sums in future.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, whether the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group plans to consider the Wheatley Group's credit downgrade by Standard & Poor's on 6 July 2016.
Answer
The agenda for the next meeting of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group in November has not yet been finalised. The agenda for this meeting will be published on the Scottish Government website in November 2016, after the meeting has taken place.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, whether the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group has raised concerns about the availability of credit (a) to increase the pace and momentum of housing delivery to meet the 50,000 new homes target, and (b) since the UK voted to leave the EU.
Answer
Minutes from previous meetings of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group can be viewed on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/reform/jhpdg/jhpdg-meetings
The most recent meeting of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group was on 22 June 2016. The Group has not met in plenary since the UK voted to leave the European Union. The next meeting of the Group will be in November 2016.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, what the date of its last meeting was with the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group when the availability of credit was (a) on the agenda or (b) discussed.
Answer
‘Risk and capital lending – delivery challenges for affordable housing providers’ was an agenda item at the most recent Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group meeting (22 June 2016). The minutes of this meeting will be available on the Scottish Government website once they have been approved by the group in November 2016.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether acquisitions made by registered social landlords are subject to Land and Building Transaction Tax if those acquisitions are made without the assistance of grants or other financial assistance.
Answer
Schedule six of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Scotland) Act 2013, as amended by The Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Addition and Modification of Reliefs) (Scotland) Order 2015, provides relief for certain acquisitions by registered social landlords. Paragraph two of schedule six sets out the qualifying conditions. If these conditions are not met then relief will not be available.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its 33,490 affordable homes were delivered by the Wheatley Group in the fourth parliamentary session.
Answer
During the last parliamentary term, a total of 1362 affordable homes were delivered by the Wheatley Housing Group.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, whether the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group advises it on the borrowing commitments of the industry.
Answer
The remit of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery group is to promote collaboration and joint working across the sector with a specific focus on the Joint Housing Delivery Plan for Scotland, and to advise Ministers on new and existing housing policy and legislation. Although there is no specific action in the plan which directly covers the borrowing commitments of the social housing sector, access to finance is key to delivering many of the actions and, as such, may be discussed by the group in general terms from time to time.
The Joint Housing Delivery Plan for Scotland can be viewed here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/05/3392
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, whether it and the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group have determined the level of credit required to increase the pace and momentum of housing delivery in order to meet the 50,000 new homes target.
Answer
Minutes from previous meetings of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group can be viewed on the Scottish Government website:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/reform/jhpdg/jhpdg-meetings
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01595 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, whether strategic housing investment plans require local authorities to advise how many (a) sites of allocated land there are and (b) housing unit consents remain outstanding where development has not been brought forward.
Answer
Scottish Planning Policy (2014) sets out the Scottish Government's policy on enabling the delivery of new homes. It sets out that local authorities, through their development plans, should address the supply of land for all housing, maintaining at least a five-year supply of effective housing land at all times. Planning authorities should prepare an annual housing land audit as a tool to review and monitor the availability of effective housing land, the progress of sites through the planning process, and housing completions. This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Local authorities are not required to provide this information in their Strategic Housing Investment Plans.