Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-28629

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide any additional funding through the Ukraine Longer Term Resettlement Fund.

Question reference: S6W-28628

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many displaced people from Ukraine are currently residing in temporary welcome accommodation.

Question reference: S6W-28627

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action is it taking to help displaced people from Ukraine to enter the private rented sector.

Question reference: S6W-28340

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 11 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement an SME home builder impact assessment across the policy areas that support all-tenure housing delivery.

Question reference: S6W-28287

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prioritise the (a) building and (b) buying of larger properties to provide suitable homes for households with children that have been living long term in temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government wants to see a reduction in the number of households with children in temporary accommodation and works closely with local authority partners to ensure their Strategic Housing Investment Plans reflect their identified priorities including high quality homes for larger families where these are required. Homes for larger families can be supported through a variety of routes including new build and acquisitions of existing properties.

We are investing almost £600 million in the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2024-25, which includes up to £40 million for acquisitions announced in April this year, and a further £40 million next year. This additional £80 million investment in acquisitions offers another option to secure larger family homes where they are needed and will help reduce the time spent in temporary accommodation, including by children. This £80 million builds on the success of our National Acquisition Programme which has invested more than £83 million in 2023-24 and delivered almost 1,500 affordable homes.

Question reference: S6W-28296

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to require all of its directorates to make the delivery of homes of all tenures across Scotland the top national infrastructure priority, in order to increase overall supply and improve affordability.

The Scottish Government published our Infrastructure Investment Plan in 2021 which sets out our national infrastructure priorities for Scotland. The Plan recognises the important role that housing plays in developing resilient and sustainable places, supporting economic growth and meeting the diverse economic, social and environmental needs of urban, rural and island areas.

We will continue to work across the Scottish Government and with local and UK Government to respond to the Housing Emergency and to deliver on our target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.

Question reference: S6W-28298

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to (a) review any relevant regulatory timelines for the next five years and (b) publish associated deliverable route maps, in accordance with the principles of its Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, in order to ensure that Scotland is an attractive location for investment.

As set out in the Minister for Housing’s statement to Parliament on 20 June, responding to the recently declared housing emergency, the Scottish Government recognise the importance of considering the impact of new regulation on the housing sector.

We have already taken action to reduce such impacts for example by rescheduling work on a new tenure neutral housing standard which we now intend to publish a public consultation on in 2025. We have also heard concerns from local authorities about the impact of introducing homelessness prevention duties at a time when councils are experiencing other pressures, and we are considering this carefully to ensure the implementation schedule balances the intended benefits with deliverability.

As with all new legislation being brought before the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government will be required to undertake a full range of impact assessments, including a Business Regulatory Impact Assessment - where careful consideration on the impact of business and wider investment is examined.

In wider work emerging from the New Deal for Business Group and Investor Panel, the Scottish Government will also bring coherence and focus to how the public sector works to attract investment at scale by convening policy, delivery and regulatory interests across the public sector to create a more ‘investor friendly’ environment and support the delivery of specific, priority investments.

Question reference: S6W-28299

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide clarity for investors by publishing, by the end of 2024, any proposed exemptions to the rent controls contained in the Housing (Scotland) Bill.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of investment in housing to underpin quality, supply and affordability in the private rented sector, and is very clear that continuing to attract private investment is a priority to maintain the vital supply of new homes for rent that our communities need. We want to see a fair, well-managed private rented sector in which investment in quality rented homes for tenants is both viable and welcome.

Given the diversity of rent conditions across Scotland, our Housing Bill allows flexibility for local circumstance to be the guiding factor in applying rent control measures. We recognize this needs to be balanced by certainty where possible.

We are considering the information shared by stakeholders on how to support investor confidence, as we look to ensure that the rent control measures in the Housing (Scotland) Bill support investment in a quality, affordable and thriving PRS.

Ministers will continue to listen to parliamentary and stakeholder views.

Question reference: S6W-28292

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is offering to social landlords to maintain their wider remit investment in homelessness prevention services.

We know that registered social landlords are uniquely placed as housing providers to identify and assist people at risk of homelessness, building on existing housing management practice and the delivery of housing support.

There is already good practice happening across the country by social landlords. Their services, such as tenancy sustainment, are already key features of their work with tenants. We want to build on this so there is a consistent, robust and sector wide approach to prevention across Scotland.

We make a significant annual investment in discretionary housing payments (over £90 million in 2024-25) to help people who are struggling with housing costs to remain in their homes. We also have a multi-year fund of £100 million to deliver actions in our homelessness strategy, the Ending Homelessness Together action plan, which has prevention at its heart.

Question reference: S6W-28343

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to extend funding for the Homelessness Prevention Fund, administered by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations.

Between 2020 and 2023 the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations worked in partnership with the Scottish Government to administer the Homelessness Prevention Fund.

The time-limited fund, which ended in December 2023, provided a total of £1.5 million to support the work of housing associations across the country to prevent homelessness for low-income families in Scotland.

We have not extended this particular scheme as the work required to end homelessness has evolved. In particular, the commitment to introduce new homelessness prevention duties points to the need for more targeted funding fully aligned with the aims of the legislation.