Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has stopped collecting statistical information on section 11 notifications.

The decision to cease the collection of this information was implemented in 2013, in agreement with the Homelessness Statistics User Group . The last national statistics publication which held data on Section 11 notifications was “Operation of the Homeless Persons legislation in Scotland: 2012-13” which can be found in our archived web page here .

Collection of this information was ceased due to data quality concerns. These included issues such as double reporting and inconsistencies in how information was reported across local authorities and amongst lenders.

The on-going homelessness data review is considering the strength of demand for, and feasibility of collecting, data related to homelessness and homelessness prevention. Data related to section 11 notifications will be considered as part of this review.

Published information on home purchases and spend across the First Home Fund, Help to Buy, Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity schemes can be found on the Scottish Government website at the following links:

Help to Buy (Scotland)

https://www.gov.scot/policies/homeowners/help-to-buy/

Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity

https://www.gov.scot/policies/more-homes/affordable-housing-supply/

First Home Fund

https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-home-fund-spend-and-units-monitoring-information-report-december-2019-to-march-2021/

The Evaluation of Scottish Government Shared Equity Schemes, which includes the Help to Buy (Scotland), Open Market Shared Equity and the New Supply Shared Equity schemes, was published in June 2020, and includes some information on the profile of buyers using the Scottish Government’s 6-fold urban/rural classification. The attached link provides further information

Shared equity schemes: evaluation reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The First Home Fund Evaluation includes information on uptake based on the 4-fold Rural & Environmental Science & Analytical Services classification

First Home Fund evaluation: quantitative analysis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The detailed breakdown by 6-fold Urban Rural Classification is not readily available in the format requested. We will investigate whether it is feasible to provide a full breakdown, given issues such as lags in new postcodes relating to new housing being allocated to the 6-fold urban-rural classification. I will write to the member with the outcome of this work as soon as the exercise has been completed. A copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre, Bib number 62811.

Completions dates for housing projects change on a regular basis for a variety of reasons and overwrite previous estimated dates. We are therefore unable to advise on the exact number of approvals where completion dates have been revised.

Due to the pandemic, construction was paused for three months in 2020-21 followed by a phased re-opening of sites in compliance with COVID guidance and restrictions. That impact has now been compounded by the current difficulties with the rising cost of materials and shortages in supplies and labour.

As a result and, based on management information, at the end of 2020-21 there were 9,017 less affordable homes delivered than were originally estimated to be completed at the start of 2020-21 and the estimated completions for 2021-22 have decreased by 267 since the start of this financial year.

The following table outlines the total number of Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) approvals since April 2016 to the end of June 2021. These approvals are broken down by their current status; not started, currently on site, completed, and those that were approved but have subsequently now been withdrawn from the programme.

The Programme Business Case, published in February 2020, provides future forecasted operating costs for Social Security Scotland. The link to the Business Case can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-programme-business-case-executive-summary/documents/

The 2021-22 Autumn Budget Revision, published on 27 September 2021, set out the financial position for Social Security in the current year. The Social Security budget line captures staff and running costs, and Social Security Assistance covers benefits expenditure. The document can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/2021-22-autumn-budget-revision-budget-scotland-act/

The 2022-23 Scottish Budget, which is set to be announced on 9 December 2021, will set out what the Scottish Government will invest in Social Security over the next financial year. The 2021 Medium Term Financial Strategy will be published alongside the new Budget and will focus on the fiscal position within the Parliamentary term.

The following table shows the actual funding provided to Cunninghame, Irvine and Trust Housing Associations between 2011-12 to 2020-21, and planned funding levels for 2021-22, through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) to deliver affordable homes. The AHSP supports delivery of new build homes, rehabilitation projects, conversions and off-the-shelf purchases of both new and second hand homes.

Figures for future years planned investment by housing associations have not been agreed. Each Local Authority prepares and publishes its Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs) annually, setting out their strategic priorities for affordable housing over a 5 year period. SHIPs for the period 2021-26 currently published by local authorities, may include information relating to housing projects for these associations which have been identified as priorities.

Funding provided through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to Cunninghame, Irvine and Trust Housing Associations 2011-12 to 2021-22*

he Scottish Government Council House Build Programme was introduced in April 2009, the aim being to incentivise local authorities to build new homes. This was the first such central government support to councils in a generation.

The following table shows the funding provided to North Ayrshire Council through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) for council house building since 2011-2012 to 2021-22.

The Scottish Government has no plans to regulate the sale or installation of interlinked fire alarms. The best way to avoid scams is to use trusted sources of information, to not deal with cold callers, and to be wary of any company that says their products or services have been endorsed by the Scottish Government. We have included messages on the importance of using reputable tradespeople including signposting to local government Trading Standards in our awareness campaign for the new fire alarms standard.

It is for individual local authorities to determine the amount of grant that they require to apply for in order for a project to be financially viable. We are therefore unable to say how much the Scottish Government will contribute to local authorities – on average – in the current financial year for each council house that is built, and what the range of funding support will be per house based on their size and type.

However, Annual Out-turn Reports relating to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme are published around the end of each calendar year and, as well as providing background information on the planning, delivery and scope of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, these include various out-turn tables in respect of spend, along with the number of approvals, site starts and completions, broken down by local authority, in the preceding financial year. The Out-turn Reports also include a table showing the average total cost per home and the average grant per home. These are the actual costs relating to the delivery of the projects within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, calculated at tender approval stage.

The information to be included within the AHSP Out-turn Report for 2020-21 is currently being collated, but the Out-turn Report in respect of 2019-20 is available on the Scottish Government website.

In relation to the EIR request 202100240457, the information was collected via a portal that included a privacy notice where applicants were made aware that the information they provided would not be shared outwith the Scottish Government.