Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government supports expansion of modern methods of construction, including off-site construction, which offer real opportunities for the industry to further improve efficiency, standards and to support new skillsets in delivering the homes Scotland needs.

We are working hard with partners to ensure best value through the significant investment supporting delivery of the 50,000 affordable homes target over the
five-years to March 2021 and to maximise the wider benefits from this investment. It is vital that the affordable housing sector procures homes in the most effective and efficient way. We are therefore also working with partners to improve the procurement performance of individual organisations, and to develop effective strategic procurement approaches across the affordable housing sector

The Scottish Government does not provide ring-fenced funding for Additional Support for Learning in schools. Funding is included in the block grant which the Scottish Government provides to all local authorities as part of the annual local government finance settlement. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government's key strategic objectives.

The National Improvement Framework provides teachers with nationally consistent data to help inform their professional judgement. In December 2016 and January 2017, we published the percentage of children achieving Curriculum for Excellence levels in aspects of literacy as well as numeracy on a local authority by local authority, and school by school basis.

Transport Scotland meet ScotRail every four weeks to review, monitor and challenge the franchise obligations related to cycling, and this includes the proposals contained in the Cycle Innovation Plan.

ScotRail’s Cycle Forum meets three times a year with the frequency approved by the members.

The Cycle Innovation Plan is updated annually. The document is currently with the members who attend the ScotRail Cycle Forum for comment before being published in June.

No additional shower facilities have been installed since Abellio won the ScotRail franchise in 2015. However, the major stations Aberdeen, Edinburgh Waverley, Fort William, Glasgow Central (High Level) and Inverness all have shower facilities.

Information on the number of tenement buildings that have been demolished as a result of falling in to disrepair is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Estimates of the total number of demolitions in Scotland are published each year by the Scottish Government in Housing Statistics for Scotland web tables, available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/ConDem.

Responsibility for maintaining tenements is principally the responsibility of the owners. The management and maintenance of tenements is usually governed by rules and conditions set out in the title deeds for the flats within the block. The Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 provides a structure, known as the Tenement Management Scheme (“the TMS”), for the maintenance and management of tenements. The TMS only applies if the title deeds do not make other arrangements or if they are defective. The TMS contains provision for majority decision making on a range of issues, including repairs.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 gave local authorities discretionary powers to require owners to carry out work on substandard houses and to provide assistance with repairs and improvements to private property. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 amended these powers to make them more effective in response to consultation with local authorities and other stakeholders, including new provisions to allow local authorities to pay missing shares for work agreed by a majority of owners in a tenement. In January 2017, the Scottish Government launched an area-based pilot of an equity loan scheme to assist owners to carry out essential repairs and energy efficiency improvements, which could facilitate common repairs in tenements.

Homelessness legislation sets out the steps local authorities must take on receiving a homelessness application. This includes the applicant’s right to a review of any decision by the local authority.

The statutory Code of Guidance on Homelessness, to which local authorities must have regard, also makes clear the individual’s right to make a homelessness application. This is further outlined in the non statutory Housing Options Guidance, published last year and which is currently being reviewed.

The Scottish Housing Regulator also plays a role in reviewing and providing feedback on local authorities’ practice regarding homelessness applications.