- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 27 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund is due to close to new applicants.
Answer
No date has been set to close the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund (THLF) to new applicants. The THLF will continue to be part of the range of support available for tenants, alongside the Tenant Grant Fund, to help those struggling to pay their rent due to the pandemic.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it distributed through the Housing Infrastructure Fund in each year from 2016-17 to 2020-21, also broken down by grant or loan funding type.
Answer
The level of funding approved by Scottish Government through the Housing Infrastructure Fund for loan and grant between 2016-17 and 2020-21 is shown in the following table.
£’m | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | Total |
Grant | 11.772 | 8.435 | 5.034 | 3.309 | 6.345 | 34.895 |
Loan | 7.900 | | | 5.999 | | 13.899 |
Total | 19.672 | 8.435 | 5.034 | 9.308 | 6.345 | 48.794 |
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 8 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the consultation on its draft Licensing Order and Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for short-term lets.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03003 on 1 October 2021. 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: Thursday, 23 September 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 8 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the registered social landlords that have applied to it to raise their rents by over (a) 5% and (b) 10% in each of the last five years.
Answer
Applications from Registered Social Landlords for grant funding through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme at tender stage contain information on any projected rent levels at the date of completion which are more than 5% above the relevant social rent benchmark published by the Scottish Government. Information on the Registered Social Landlords’ applications which were approved began to be collected in 2018-19 as follows:
| Registered Social Landlords with projects where projected rent levels were more than 5% and up to 10% above benchmark | Registered Social Landlords with projects where projected rent levels were more than 5% and also more than 10% above benchmark | Registered Social Landlords with projects where projected rent levels were more than 10% above benchmark |
2018-19 | Angus Housing Association, Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Cunninghame Housing Association, East Lothian Housing Association, Elderpark Housing Association, Hillcrest Housing Association, Home Group, Kingdom Housing Association, Waverley Housing, West Highland Housing Association, West Lothian Housing Partnership, and West of Scotland Housing Association | Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, East Lothian Housing Association, Eildon Housing Association, and Glasgow West Housing Association | Cassiltoun Housing Association, Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, and Fyne Homes |
2019-20 | Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Cunninghame Housing Association, Eildon Housing Association, Hillcrest Housing Association, Kingdom Housing Association, Partick Housing Association, and West Highland Housing Association | Albyn Housing Society, Almond Housing Association, Castle Rock Edinvar Housing, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Fyne Homes, Hillcrest Housing Association, Home Group, and Port of Leith Housing Association | Albyn Housing Society, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, East Lothian Housing Association, and Port of Leith Housing Association |
2020-21 | Clyde Valley Housing Association, Cunninghame Housing Association, Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership, Grampian Housing Association, Kingdom Housing Association, Loreburn Housing Association, and West Lothian Housing Partnership | Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Grampian Housing Association, and Hillcrest Housing Association | Bield Housing Association, Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Hillcrest Housing Association, Home Group, and Loreburn Housing Association |
Information is not available on any applications that may not have been approved.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 8 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many Registered Social Landlords have applied to it to raise their rents by over (a) 5% and (b) 10% in each of the last five years, and how many applications were approved.
Answer
While it is up to individual social landlords to strike the best balance between rent levels and meeting the housing needs of local communities, rents for social rented homes should not be set without regard to the importance of affordability for tenants. The Scottish Government therefore considers the proposed rents for Registered Social Landlord social rented homes at the point of first let as part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant assessment process
Applications from Registered Social Landlords for grant funding to deliver projects through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme at tender stage contain information on any projected rent levels at the date of completion which are more than 5% above the relevant social rent benchmark published by the Scottish Government.
Information on the number of tender applications which were approved which contained Registered Social Landlord projected rent levels at the point of completion which exceeded the relevant social rent benchmark by more than 5% began to be collected in 2018-19 as follows:
| Projected rent levels more than 5% and up to 10% above benchmark | Projected rent levels more than 5% and also more than 10% above benchmark | Projected rent levels more than 10% above benchmark |
Number of Registered Social Landlords | Number of tender applications approved | Number of Registered Social Landlords | Number of tender applications approved | Number of Registered Social Landlords | Number of tender applications approved |
2018-19 | 12 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
2019-20 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
2020-21 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
At tender stage, the estimated completion dates of the above projects were as follows:
| Estimated project completion dates for applications containing projected rent levels which were more than 5% and up to 10% above benchmark | Estimated project completion dates for applications containing projected rent levels which were more than 5% and also more than 10% above benchmark | Estimated project completion dates for applications containing projected rent levels which were more than 10% above benchmark |
2018-19 | 2018-19: 1 project 2019-20: 6 projects 2020-21: 7 projects | 2018-19: 1 project 2019-20: 4 projects 2020-21: 2 projects | 2019-20: 4 projects |
2019-20 | 2019-20: 1 project 2020-21: 4 projects 2021-22: 1 project 2022-23: 1 project | 2020-21: 5 projects 2021-22: 3 projects 2023-24: 1 project | 2019-20: 1 project 2020-21: 1 project 2021-22: 2 projects 2023-24: 1 project |
2020-21 | 2021-22: 3 projects 2022-23: 7 projects | 2020-21: 1 project 2021-22: 3 projects 2022-23: 3 projects | 2020-21: 1 project 2021-22: 1 project 2022-23: 7 projects 2023-24: 2 projects |
Information is not available on any applications that may not have been approved.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many times each local authority has paid (a) Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and (b) the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) when purchasing off-the-shelf properties in each year since it was introduced, also broken down by the value of LBTT or ADS revenue collected.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
Revenue Scotland, in its role as Scotland’s fully devolved tax collection and management authority, regularly publishes data on its website regarding the number of transactions subject to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), including the Additional Dwelling Supplement. The LBTT tax return does not however allow for capture of the information requested.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and (b) Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) paid by local authorities when purchasing off-the-shelf properties is returned to the respective local authority.
Answer
In general terms, in the event that any Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, including the Additional Dwelling Supplement, is due in relation to a transaction it could not be reclaimed.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 4 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has begun the analysis to identify strategic areas likely to have access to low carbon or green hydrogen, which was referred to in the Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy in February 2021, and when it anticipates this analysis will be published.
Answer
Work is under development that will help identify strategic areas most likely to have access to hydrogen in the future. We plan to publish further evidence in spring 2022. We are also working with stakeholders including from industry, network companies, local authorities and delivery partners to better understand the potential role for hydrogen in decarbonisation of heat.
In addition, we are working in partnership with SGN to explore options for the future of Scotland's gas network.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 4 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether the further analysis to fully understand the role of secondary technologies with a role in heat decarbonisation, which was referred to in the Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy in February 2021, has begun, and, if so, when the findings of this analysis will be published.
Answer
In the Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in February 2021, we committed to undertaking research to understand the extent to which the deployment of secondary technologies alongside zero emissions heating systems could help to optimise operational performance, minimise energy consumption and reduce end user fuel costs. This research is underway, and seeks to understand the technical feasibility and cost effectiveness of heat batteries, electric batteries, and thermal storage cylinders when installed alongside a range of zero emissions primary heating technologies; both independently of and in conjuncture with microgeneration technologies such as solar PV and solar thermal. We expect to publish this research in early 2022.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 4 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the actions set out in Annex A of the Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy from February 2021, what the (a) timescale for delivery, (b) current status and (c) expenditure to date is for each of the actions.
Answer
Annex A of the draft Heat in Buildings Strategy contains over one hundred actions. Not all actions represent separate budget items or specific deliverables. Accordingly, the information below sets out timescales, status and expenditure across broad groups of actions and specific programmes. Further detail will be published in our finalised Heat in Buildings Strategy.
Delivery schemes
- We have allocated a record £50 million for Warmer Homes Scotland and £64 million for our local authority-led Area Based Schemes this year.
- We have increased the cashback available to home and building owners on measures to improve efficiency and install zero emissions heating, and will replace the cashback with a grant scheme in 2022/23.
- We have announced at least £95 million of capital funding for our Scottish Green Public Sector Estate scheme, this year investing at least £10 million.
- We have launched a second £30 million call through the ‘Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund’, and committed to keep the fund open with up to £100m available over the course of this Parliament.
- We will invest at least £400 million over this parliamentary session in large scale heat and energy efficiency projects, including providing support for zero carbon local and district heat networks, and large scale heat pumps. This scheme will provide both capital and project development support.
- Through our CARES programme, up to £5.25 million has been made available for this financial year to support community and locally owned energy. A further £3 million has also been made available to support the upgrade of fragile grids, recognising the distinct challenges faced by island, rural and remote communities.
Working with the energy sector
- In partnership with Ofgem and Scotland’s gas and electricity network companies we have published the Principles for the Development of Scotland’s Gas and Electricity Networks.
- We continue to work with electricity network operators through our Heat Electrification Strategic Partnership, and to work with gas network operators to develop the evidence base on gas decarbonisation.
- The Scottish Government provided £6.9 million support to the H100 project, helping to evidence the role that hydrogen can play in decarbonising heat.
- The Heat Networks (Scotland) Act was unanimously agreed by the Scottish Parliament, and we are developing the secondary legislation provided for by the Act. We have introduced a 90% relief from non-domestic rates for new heat networks run from renewable sources, and extended the existing 50% relief for heat networks to 2032.
- We will refresh the Energy Strategy in Spring 2022.
- We are partnering with Scottish Renewables to undertake a ‘Heat in Buildings Workforce Assessment Project’.
- We will respond to the forthcoming Heat Pump Sector Deal Advisory Group’s recommendations once they are finalised.
Regulation
- We have committed to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, in off gas from 2025 and in on gas areas from 2030, subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government in reserved areas.
- We have made a commitment that where technically and legally feasible and cost-effective, by 2030 a large majority of buildings should achieve a good level of energy efficiency, which for homes is at least equivalent to an EPC Band C, with all homes meeting at least this standard by 2033.
- We will introduce primary legislation, subject to consultation and to limits on devolved competence, that provides the regulatory framework for zero emissions heating and energy efficiency, and underpinning powers to support this transition and ambitious programme
Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies
- We have developed a methodology and guidance for the production of Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategies and Delivery Plans.
- The LHEES pilots programme completed in April 2021 and an evaluation is underway, synthesising learning across three phases. We have commissioned a National Assessment to create a central resource that local authorities can draw on.
Consultations
In addition to the consultation on the draft Heat in Buildings Strategy we have consulted on:
- Scottish skills requirements for energy efficiency, zero emissions and low carbon heating systems, microgeneration and heat networks for homes
- New Build Heat Standard (scoping consultation)
- Home energy efficiency: equity loan pilot
- Domestic Energy Performance Certificates reform
- Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP): call for evidence