Chamber and committees

We expect the UK Government to publish research on the provision of supported accommodation and a consultation paper with more detail on their proposed approach shortly, it would be premature to make any plans without this information.

The Scottish Government intends to use devolved funding to ensure that the supported accommodation sector is put onto a secure and sustainable footing and we will work with a broad range of stakeholders to achieve this.

No assessment has been made on the impact of local housing allowance changes to investment. The Scottish Government made clear it was concerned about the potential impact, and welcomed the announcement that funding for supported accommodation would be maintained at current levels.

The Scottish Government intends to use devolved funding to ensure that the supported accommodation sector is put onto a secure and sustainable footing. We will work with a broad range of stakeholders to achieve this.

No assessment has been made on the impact of local housing allowance changes to groups of recipients in supported accommodation. The Scottish Government made clear it was concerned about the potential impact, and welcomed the announcement that funding for supported accommodation would be maintained at current levels. The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on people in supported accommodation, however Scottish Government are currently in the process of implementing a data collection which will provide some data on this.

The Scottish Government intends to protect the wide variety of tenants in supported accommodation and to use devolved funding to ensure that the supported accommodation sector is put onto a secure and sustainable footing. We will work with a broad range of stakeholders to achieve this.

No assessment has been made by the Scottish Government on the likely growth in demand for supported accommodation. The UK Government has undertaken a substantial body of research on the provision of supported accommodation across Great Britain which we understand will shortly be published along with a consultation paper. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis.

Local authorities are required by law to prepare a local housing strategy (LHS) supported by an assessment of housing need and demand. SG guidance on the LHS http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0045/00458185.pdf notes that the strategy has to clearly set out: the current need for specialist provision (accommodation and care/support services) that will help to support people to live independently; the likely requirement for this provision over the next 5 years; how current needs are being met using a range of accommodation types and what more is planned to meet future need.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on people in supported accommodation, however Scottish Government are currently in the process of implementing a data collection which will provide some data on this.

The supported accommodation sector is complex and encompasses a range of different forms of accommodation, with different providers and meeting different needs. The UK Government has undertaken a substantial body of research on the provision of supported accommodation across Great Britain which we understand will shortly be published along with a consultation paper. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis.

The Department for Work and Pensions are responsible for collecting and publishing data on housing benefit and local housing allowance (LHA). LHA rates are published at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/privaterent/tenants/Local-Housing-Allowance/figures. The Scottish Government has not made any assessment on the current shortfall between awards of LHA and rents. LHA rates currently only apply to the private sector.

The Scottish Government meets with housing providers and other stakeholders with an interest in supported accommodation through the temporary accommodation and supported accommodation sub group, which has met since 2013. This group has discussed the plans to extend local housing allowance (LHA) to the social sector, and its members, including Scottish Women’s Aid have been among those groups calling on the UK Government to take a different approach for supported accommodation.

This group last met on 19 September, and discussed the Secretary of State for Work and Pension’s written statement on applying LHA to the social rented sector, and the funding for supported accommodation. The group agreed to meet again shortly after the DWP research and consultation had been published.

This group also consulted with the Scottish Housing Best Value Network (Now known as the Scottish Housing Network) on guidance to support landlords and local authority housing benefit teams in defining supported exempt accommodation for the purpose of ensuring unintended consequences of UK Government welfare reform were avoided and to prepare for any measures to localise support for this sector.

Rents in supported accommodation generally exceed rents in other accommodation types, due to high management and other associated costs.

No assessment has been made on the extent to which rents in supported accommodation may be higher compared to rents for other accommodation. The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on people in supported accommodation, however Scottish Government are currently in the process of implementing a data collection which will provide some data on this.

The UK Government has undertaken a substantial body of research on the provision of supported accommodation across Great Britain which we understand will shortly be published along with a consultation paper. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis.

No assessment has been made on the impact of local housing allowance changes to groups of recipients in supported accommodation. The UK Government has undertaken a substantial body of research on the provision of supported accommodation across Great Britain which we understand will shortly be published along with a consultation paper. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis.

The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on people in supported accommodation, however Scottish Government are currently in the process of implementing a data collection which will provide some data on this.

The UK Government has not begun discussions with the Scottish Government on the calculation of funding which will be devolved. We expect the UK Government to provide overall funding sufficient to fund supported accommodation at current levels, and we will work with the sector to ensure that the devolved funding reflects this.

Such discussions will be informed by the DWPs own research. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis to support our discussions with the UK Government.