Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-00426

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what impact air pollution has on mortality and morbidity.

Question reference: S6W-03919

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding reports that ferries have to cease operations every day while being cleaned as part of COVID-19-related protocols, and what information it has on whether all other modes of transport are similarly treated.

Enhanced cleaning takes place on a regular basis on all vessels whilst they are in service. If a vessel is confirmed as having a positive covid case onboard, it is temporarily removed from service to allow a deep clean to take place by external contractors.

In terms of bus services – enhanced cleaning of all buses takes place daily, but they remain in service.

In terms of Trains - enhanced cleaning protocols remain in place for both ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper Ltd operations.

Question reference: S6W-03622

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will contribute to local authorities, on average, in the current financial year for each council house that is built, and what the range of funding support is per house based on their size and type.

It is for individual local authorities to determine the amount of grant that they require to apply for in order for a project to be financially viable. We are therefore unable to say how much the Scottish Government will contribute to local authorities – on average – in the current financial year for each council house that is built, and what the range of funding support will be per house based on their size and type.

However, Annual Out-turn Reports relating to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme are published around the end of each calendar year and, as well as providing background information on the planning, delivery and scope of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, these include various out-turn tables in respect of spend, along with the number of approvals, site starts and completions, broken down by local authority, in the preceding financial year. The Out-turn Reports also include a table showing the average total cost per home and the average grant per home. These are the actual costs relating to the delivery of the projects within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, calculated at tender approval stage.

The information to be included within the AHSP Out-turn Report for 2020-21 is currently being collated, but the Out-turn Report in respect of 2019-20 is available on the Scottish Government website.

Question reference: S6W-03623

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has provided to (a) Cunninghame, (b) Irvine and (c) Trust Housing Associations for the construction of new housing in each year from 2011-2012 to 2021-22, and how much it will provide to each of these housing associations in each year from 2022-23 to 2025-26.

The following table shows the actual funding provided to Cunninghame, Irvine and Trust Housing Associations between 2011-12 to 2020-21, and planned funding levels for 2021-22, through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) to deliver affordable homes. The AHSP supports delivery of new build homes, rehabilitation projects, conversions and off-the-shelf purchases of both new and second hand homes.

Figures for future years planned investment by housing associations have not been agreed. Each Local Authority prepares and publishes its Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs) annually, setting out their strategic priorities for affordable housing over a 5 year period. SHIPs for the period 2021-26 currently published by local authorities, may include information relating to housing projects for these associations which have been identified as priorities.

Funding provided through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to Cunninghame, Irvine and Trust Housing Associations 2011-12 to 2021-22*

Year	Cunninghame	Irvine	Trust	Total (£m)
2011-12	3.855	-	-	3.855
2012-13	2.309	2.654	1.043	6.006
2013-14	3.677	-	0.643	4.32
2014-15	1.948	-	0.045	1.993
2015-16	2.984	-	-	2.984
2016-17	12.404	-	-	12.404
2017-18	14.298	0.227	0.747	15.272
2018-19	13.272	5.114	3.149	21.535
2019-20	15.814	1.495	3.139	20.448
2020-21**	18.601	1.804	0.897	21.302
2021-22 (planned)	20.712	7.913	-	28.625
Total (£m)	109.87	19.207	9.663	138.74

*Figures exclude any funding for adaptations

**Funding for 2020-21 will be confirmed in the Annual Out-turn Report for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme which will be published around the end of the calendar year

Question reference: S6W-03624

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will contribute to housing associations, on average, in the current financial year for the construction of each new house that they build, and what the range of funding support is per house based on their size and type.

It is for individual housing associations to determine the amount of grant that they require to apply for in order for a project to be financially viable. We are therefore unable to say how much the Scottish Government will contribute to housing associations – on average – in the current financial year for each new house that they build, and what the range of funding support will be per house based on their size and type.

However, Annual Out-turn Reports relating to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme are published around the end of each calendar year and, as well as providing background information on the planning, delivery and scope of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, these include various out-turn tables in respect of spend, along with the number of approvals, site starts and completions, broken down by local authority, in the preceding financial year. The Out-turn Reports also include a table showing the average total cost per home and the average grant per home. These are the actual costs relating to the delivery of the projects within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, calculated at tender approval stage.

The information to be included within the AHSP Out-turn Report for 2020-21 is currently being collated, but the Out-turn Report in respect of 2019-20 is available on the Scottish Government website.

Question reference: S6W-03621

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has provided to North Ayrshire Council for the construction of new council housing in each year from 2011-2012 to 2021-22, and how much it will provide in each year from 2022-23 to 2025-26.

he Scottish Government Council House Build Programme was introduced in April 2009, the aim being to incentivise local authorities to build new homes. This was the first such central government support to councils in a generation.

The following table shows the funding provided to North Ayrshire Council through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) for council house building since 2011-2012 to 2021-22.

Financial Year	Funding provided through the AHSP £m
2011-12	1.070
2012-13	0.929
2013-14	1.827
2014-15	3.756
2015-16	1.613
2016-17	6.255
2017-18	5.169
2018-19	7.640
2019-20	13.175
2020-21	*15.768
2021-22	*6.973
Total	64.175

*Funding for 2020-21 will be confirmed in the Annual Out-turn Report for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme which will be published around the end of the calendar year.

*Funding for 2021-22 is based on planned investment.

The Resource Planning Assumptions for all local authority areas have been published for 2021 - 2026 and can be found here

https://www.gov.scot/publications/affordable-housing-resource-planning-assumptions-to-councils-2021-2022-to-2025-2026/.

Figures for future years planned council house build investment, have not been agreed however North Ayrshire Council’s current Strategic Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) for 2021-2026 which sets out their strategic priorities for affordable housing over a 5 year period, is available on their website (link attached) Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2021 - 2026 (north-ayrshire.gov.uk) . This document is reviewed annually and we are currently awaiting their Strategic Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) for 2022/2027. It should be noted that the SHIP is a moveable document and planned figures are subject to change throughout the course of a financial year.

A more comprehensive annual breakdown by local authority and programme type, including expenditure, is made available each year in the published Scottish Government Affordable Housing Supply Programme Out-turn Reports.

Out-turn reports can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.scot/policies/more-homes/affordable-housing-supply/ .

Question reference: S6F-00368

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Budget.

Question reference: S6O-00268

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when work will begin constructing the roundabouts and flyover planned for the junctions of the A737, B706 and B777.

Question reference: S6W-03187

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the next round of the Scottish Crown Estate Net Revenue Allocation Scheme will be (a) determined and (b) dispersed.

Question reference: S6W-03266

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated financial cost as a result of the increase in gas prices will be for (a) NHS Scotland, (b) local authorities and (C) all other areas of the public sector.

NHS bodies, Local Authorities and other public sector bodies that use Scottish Government’s national collaborative framework for the Supply of Natural Gas will see no increase in price this financial year to their wholesale cost of gas. The cost of wholesale gas was fixed in April 2021 and will remain unchanged this financial year. Information is not held centrally for those public bodies that do not use the national collaborative framework.

Chamber and committees