Chamber and committees

As part of the First Minister''s announcement on 19 August, the Scottish Government published Responding to the Changing Economic Climate: Further Action on Housing. This set out the targeted measures that the Scottish Government is putting in place to help alleviate some of the most serious aspects of the credit crunch on the supply of affordable homes, on first time buyers and existing homeowners, and on the capacity of the house building industry. It included information about the Scottish Government''s plans to bring forward up to £100 million of affordable housing investment and explained that this would be spent in the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10, rather than in 2010-11 as planned originally. It also explained that some £60 million of this investment would be committed from government programmes and that the government would discuss with COSLA the temporary contribution of a further £40 million from local government programmes.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15727 on 9 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15063 on 3 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Grant conditions, including financial monitoring, are attached to all funding provided by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Islamic Foundation was one of 53 different organisations which received a total of £3.4 million during the 2007-08 financial year from resources administered by the Scottish Government''s Equality Unit for projects and initiatives relating to race, religion and refugee integration. All three of the individual funding payments to the Scottish Islamic Foundation for £10,152; £5,600 and £200,000 came from this source which gave grants to individual organisations ranging from £3,250 to £605,000.

This funding has been allocated through the Health and Wellbeing Directorate.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15063 on 3 September 2008. Applications for the funding referred were received in March 2008.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Funding for IslamFest was first given ministerial approval in March 2007 under the previous administration. A proposal from the Scottish Islamic Foundation for funding of £200,000 was approved in principle by the First Minister and subsequently agreed by officials after receipt of the detailed proposal in March 2008. Funding for the two smaller grants of £10,152 and £5,600 were processed and actioned by officials.

All householders who were eligible for the central heating programme before the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing''s announcement of 22 May 2008 remain eligible under the regulations.

The Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum is currently considering the long term future of the programme and is expected to report back in early autumn. Once the forum has provided its recommendations the necessary decisions on the programme''s future will be taken.

It will be at the discretion of individual local authorities how they develop and allocate these additional weeks, based on local needs and priorities.

COSLA will monitor progress twice a year and will ensure delivery of the total Scotland-wide figures.