Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-02111

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the consultation on its short-term lets draft Licensing Order and Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), what method it used to estimate that there are 32,000 short-term lets in Scotland, and whether it will provide a breakdown of this figure by how many are (a) a single room in a property, (b) a shared room in a property, (c) an entire property and (d) unconventional accommodation such as an outhouse or yurt.

The figure of 32,000 short-term lets quoted in our BRIA relates to Airbnb listings, and is taken from our independent research on the impact of short-term lets on communities, which was published in October 2019: Short-term lets - impact on communities: research - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The research was based on data provided by InsideAirbnb, dated May 2019. Of the 32,000 Airbnb listings across Scotland, 69.2% were entire homes, 30.3% were private rooms, and 0.4% were shared rooms.

We do not have a breakdown of these listings by type of premises. Our licensing scheme will provide data on the types of short-term let and premises being used in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02092

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications from registered social landlords (RSL) seeking consent to waive the Right to Recover Grant it has approved each year, broken down by (a) RSL and (b) amount waived.

The following table contains details of instances over the last five financial years where the Scottish Government has waived the Right to Recover Housing Association Grant on previously grant funded projects and where the grant was not recycled within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

Year	Registered Social Landlord (RSL)	Amount waived (£m)
2018-19	Caledonia Housing Association	0.155
2019-20	Arklet Housing Association	0.029
2019-20	Thenue Housing Association	1.634
2019-20	West of Scotland Housing Association	0.351
2020-21	West of Scotland Housing Association	0.333
2021-22	Caledonia Housing Association	0.625
Total		3.127

Question reference: S6O-00123

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet COSLA to discuss local authority funding.

Question reference: S6O-00077

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has commissioned of the likely costs to homeowners and landlords of reaching net zero emissions in housing by 2045.

Question reference: S6W-02071

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it received reports about scammers exploiting the new fire and smoke alarm standard in autumn 2020 and, if so, what (a) types of scam were reported, (b) lessons were learned from the reports in preparation for the introduction of the standard in 2022 and (c) measures it has implemented to reduce the risk of harm to householders by scammers exploiting the implementation of the standard.

The Scottish Government has not received specific reports of scammers exploiting the new fire alarm standard. We are, however, recognise that the risk of people falling victim to a scam remains a possibility The Scottish Government launched a comprehensive awareness raising campaign about the new standard on 19 August 2021. This campaign includes messaging on the importance of using reputable tradespeople, looking out for trademarks that products that comply with the new standard as well as signposting to local government Trading Standards teams for further advice and to report suspicious activities.

Question reference: S6W-02074

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) housing developments and (b) homes (i) are or (ii) will be connected to residential district heating networks that are operational or in development.

The answers to each part of this question are as follows:

In respect of (a)(i) (housing developments currently connected to residential district heating networks): this information is not held centrally.
In respect of (b)(ii) – (homes currently connected residential district heating networks): the most recent data held is from 31 December 2018, when there were 29,647 known domestic connections to Scottish heating networks (including communal heating).
In respect of (a)(i) (housing developments that will (in the future) be connected to residential district heating networks): this information is not held centrally.
In respect of (b)(ii) (homes that will (in the future) be connected to residential district heating networks): this information is not held centrally.

The data currently held on heat networks comes from data collected by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) under the Heat Metering and Billing Regulations. Heat network operators are required to notify every 4 years. The latest data held is for 2018. Figures for 2019 and 2020 are not yet available.

Regarding future developments, planning applications for individual homes and housing developments are taken by planning authorities in the first instance. Where planning permission is granted there is no requirement to notify the Scottish Government or the Scottish Ministers of the decision. While the Scottish Government does collect some information on the performance of planning authorities this does not break down into details of individual applications.

The Heat Networks (Scotland) Act sets statutory heat network deployment targets, requiring 2.6 terawatt hours of output by 2027 and 6 terawatt hours by 2030. The targets are broadly equivalent to 120,000 and 400,000 average gas using homes being connected to heat networks for 2027 and 2030 respectively.? As heat networks are generally anchored around large non-domestic buildings, which account for significant portion of heat supplies, these figures should only be considered illustrative.

Question reference: S6W-02113

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide local authorities with prescriptive guidance on handling applications to the grant fund announced in June 2021 to support tenants struggling to pay their rent as a direct result of COVID-19, and what right of review or appeal applicants will have.

Question reference: S6W-02072

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 August 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on a compulsory rent register for the private rented sector, and whether any appraisal of (a) the Scottish Landlord Register, (b) Rent Service Scotland, and other (c) existing or (d) new systems has been conducted with a view to exploring the feasibility of such a register.

We are committed to taking action to ensure the housing market operates more fairly across Scotland, providing affordable housing options and choices in all communities. Housing to 2040 , Scotland’s vision for housing to 2040, includes a commitment that before the end of this year, we will have undertaken an analysis of what is required to gather more comprehensive data on the Scottish private rented sector (PRS), setting out our intentions for mechanisms by the end of 2021.

An analysis of what is required in order to collect more comprehensive data on the PRS will underpin our approach. We are considering all options, including current or potential PRS data systems.

As set out in Housing to 2040, it is our intention to explore all possible solutions afresh, including the development of any new systems, with a view to seeking stakeholder views as part of a consultation on our wider Rented Sector Strategy in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-02068

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 August 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Rural and Islands Housing Fund review has been completed and, if so, (a) who participated in it, (b) whether any reports have been drafted or received detailing the outcomes of the review and (c) by what date any such report(s) will be published.

The review of the operation of the Rural and Islands Housing Fund has been completed and in response to the questions asked (a) The Scottish Government engaged with Local Authorities, Registered Social Landlords, funding scheme participants, a rural housing sounding board who had helped inform the original guidance of the Rural and Islands Housing Fund and other stakeholders with an interest in rural and island housing. There was overwhelming support that the fund should continue, (b) we are currently preparing a report summarising the findings of the engagement with stakeholders and (c) the report will be published shortly.

Question reference: S6W-01880

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) scope and (b) timeline is for the planned comprehensive audit of current housing and homelessness legislation.

We have committed to taking action to realise the right to adequate housing in Scotland. To establish the best way to make the right to adequate housing a reality, we have said that we will undertake a comprehensive audit of our current housing and homelessness legislation.

The aim of the audit is to identify where there are gaps in current domestic legislation and where remedies for violations of housing rights can be strengthened. It will assess how well current legislation protects marginalised groups and meets the needs of people with protected characteristics. The audit findings will help us understand how the introduction of a right to adequate housing in Scotland will impact on people's lives.

This work will begin later in 2021.