- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with parents of very low birth weight (VLBW) babies regarding plans to reduce the number of level 3 neonatal units from eight to three, in light of the report, The Best Start: A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland, reportedly finding that parental engagement was lower than hoped for.
Answer
Following the testing period the Early Implementer Boards noted that no negative feedback was received from families about the process. However, due to only a small number of babies being transferred this made it difficult to achieve the depth of parent feedback hoped for.
In order to capture parent representation in the Options Appraisal and Best Start Programme Board decision making process, the Chief Executive of Bliss sits on our Best Start Programme Board and was a participant in the options appraisal process, representing the views of neonatal families.
As part of the next phase, Scottish Government will be consulting with families in the affected areas on implementation of the proposals, so that we can take account of their concerns when the pathways and processes for the new model of care are designed. This will affect a very small number of families however it is important that we hear the voices of those families to input into design of service delivery.
The Best Start emphasises parents as key partners in caring for their baby and aims to keep mothers and babies, and families together as much as possible in the crucial early weeks, with services designed around them. We have a number of measures already in place to support families with babies in neonatal care:
- Providing accommodation for parents to stay on or near neonatal units and facilities within the unit to encourage kangaroo skin to skin care and early support for breastfeeding;
- Roll out of the Young Patients Family Fund (formerly the Neonatal Expenses Fund) to support families with the costs of travel, accommodation and food whilst their baby is in neonatal care; and
- Repatriating babies to their local neonatal units as soon as clinically possible
Neonatal units have agreed to continue to seek parent feedback to ensure opportunities to improve the experiences of families are identified on an ongoing basis.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review the Young Patients Family Fund, in light of the planned reduction of level 3 neonatal units from eight to three.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to review the Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) in light of the plans to reduce the number of level 3 neonatal units in Scotland. The cost of visiting a child or young person in hospital should not be a barrier for families which is why parents/carers and siblings (under 18) can claim under YPFF, regardless which neonatal unit their baby is being cared for in. The fund helps to offset the cost of: travelling to and from hospital during a child or young person’s inpatient stay; the subsistence required to allow claimants to spend time at the hospital; and any accommodation required by eligible visitors. There are no restrictions on the number of claims an eligible visitor can make.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 11 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how frequently its Innovative Finance Steering Group meets; on what dates it has met since it was established; what its full (a) remit and (b) membership is; whether its remit extends beyond the affordable housing supply programme, and where the minutes of its meetings can be accessed.
Answer
The Innovative Finance Steering Group was established to support the delivery of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 by providing strategic advice to the Scottish Government on opportunities for innovative finance models to support the affordable housing sector (Registered Social Landlords and Local Authorities) over the next 9 years. The Group convened at the end of 2022 to agree an approach to governance and its work. Members of the Group participate in horizon scanning to identify priority areas for further development and the group is expected to formally convene later in the year to discuss the opportunities highlighted and exchanged to date.
The group consists of members from ALACHO, SFHA, CoSLA, Wheatley Group, Link, Scottish Futures Trust, Scottish National Investment Bank, Glasgow West Scotland Forum, UK Finance and Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government will publish high level updates on the work of the Group on the Scottish Government’s websites as appropriate and recognising the commercial nature of this work.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 11 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17172 by Patrick Harvie on 11 May 2023, whether it will provide (a) a breakdown of the 10 applications and the reasons that they have been rejected, invited to resubmit following feedback or referred to alternative funding sources and (b) details of any additional applications since the question was answered.
Answer
A breakdown of the unsuccessful applications for the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund between August 2020 and May 2023 are given in the following table:
Application | Reason |
1 | Applicant did not respond to clarification questions |
2 | Project did not have match funding and could not meet delivery timescales |
3 | Application was for new build and not retrofit for existing stock |
4 | Project work had already begun |
5 | Project area had potential for a heat network |
6 | Proposed heat system was not eligible |
7 | Proposed costs of project were not accurate |
8 | Proposed heat system was not zero emission |
9 | Project area had a potential for a heat network |
10 | Application lacked detail and required feasibility work to be completed |
A further 13 applications have been received since question S6W-17172 was answered. Of these applications 6 have been successful, 5 have been rejected and a further 2 are under consideration. The reasons that the 5 applications were rejected are given in the following table:
Application | Reason |
11 | Application was not fully completed and scored under threshold for support |
12 | Application lacked project detail and scored under threshold for support |
13 | Application lacked enough detail to be appraised and scored under threshold for support |
14 | Application for phase 2 of a project. Project invited to resubmit on completion of existing project. |
15 | Project did not spend grant this financial year |
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 11 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the report of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers, Housing in Scotland: Current Context and Preparing for the Future, which was published in July 2023, what its response is to the recommendation that the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 should be replaced with "bespoke legislation to overcome the failings exposed in the recent ... Court challenge to City of Edinburgh Council's scheme [for short-term lets]", and the statement that "not doing so risks the collapse of the licensing of short term lets".
Answer
Councils are responsible for developing their licensing policies in line with powers and duties under The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022, as amended in 2023, and they can add proportionate conditions to address local needs and concerns. We continue to work closely with COSLA, SOLAR and licensing authorities on the implementation and monitoring of the short term lets licensing legislation. We are therefore aware that the City of Edinburgh Council has acted on the Judgement made on 8 June 2023 to revise its local licensing policy and information for applicants. We remain confident that licensing of short-term lets can be operated effectively by councils so as to respect the rights of hosts and guests in short-term let accommodation, and is appropriate for the whole of Scotland.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-20290 and S6W-20295 by Paul McLennan on 17 August 2023, at what point in the conveyancing process the local area team would be able to agree grant funding for an acquisition under the national acquisition plan.
Answer
Further to the answer to S6W-20732 on 6 September 2023, grant funding arrangements are expected to be agreed with grant applicants in advance of the conveyancing process.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-20290 and S6W-20295 by Paul McLennan on 17 August 2023, how quickly it expects area team offices to (a) handle applications and (b) agree grant funding for acquisitions under the national acquisition plan.
Answer
We already work with registered social landlords and local authorities to agree annual funding allocations to support the purchase of second-hand properties through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. This streamlined approach is designed to allow these organisations to act upon opportunities as they arise.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing with Homes for Scotland and housebuilders to utilise capacity to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing.
Answer
The Scottish Government engages with Homes for Scotland on a regular basis through a range of official and ministerial led meetings and fora.
We continue to collaborate with all our partners to achieve our shared goal of delivering more affordable homes for Scotland.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason job losses in the housing construction sector are reportedly not considered a risk to the affordable housing supply programme in its risk register.
Answer
The AHSP risk register identifies the potential impacts if there are insufficient skilled construction workers or problems with labour retention. Both factors could be affected by job losses in construction. Job losses in the construction sector are not necessarily, in themselves, a direct risk to delivery of the programme.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the housebuilder, Bellway, has begun cutting jobs in anticipation of a UK property market slowdown, and what impact it anticipates this could have on the affordable housing supply programme in Scotland.
Answer
Bellway is currently involved in delivering two projects through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme and we do not anticipate any major impact to delivery of these projects or our wider programme.