Questions and answers

Question reference: S4O-03858

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding the reorganisation of control room facilities.

Question reference: S4W-23462

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government in how many residential properties renewables have been installed in (a) existing and (b) newbuild properties in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

However, partial information can be provided relating to the UK Government’s feed-in-tariff scheme. The following table and shows the cumulative numbers of domestic installations that are receiving a feed-in-tariff for a renewable generation project, as at the end of September 2014. No breakdown is available between (a) existing and (b) new build properties.

Cumulative installations confirmed on the central feed-in-tariff register by local authority, as at end of September 2014¹

Local Authority	Domestic Installations
Aberdeen City	702
Aberdeenshire	3,794
Angus	1,292
Argyll and Bute	1,057
Clackmannanshire	327
Dumfries and Galloway	2,297
Dundee City	448
East Ayrshire	814
East Dunbartonshire	509
East Lothian	683
East Renfrewshire	343
Edinburgh, City of	1,112
Eilean Siar	297
Falkirk	695
Fife	2,894
Glasgow City	1,449
Highland	3,193
Inverclyde	205
Midlothian	398
Moray	1,198
North Ayrshire	818
North Lanarkshire	1,275
Orkney Islands	884
Perth and Kinross	1,769
Renfrewshire	741
Scottish Borders	1,802
Shetland Islands	140
South Ayrshire	850
South Lanarkshire	1,848
Stirling	1,253
West Lancashire	732
West Lothian	1,095
TOTAL	36,914

Source: Department of Energy and Climate Change sub-regional feed-in-tariffs statistics

Notes:

1. Data are sourced from the central feed-in-tariff register maintained by Ofgem as extracted on 3 July 2014. The register is continually being updated and revised, so statistical reports extracted at a later date may not exactly match the totals presented here.

Question reference: S4W-23463

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 15 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many residential properties have been retrofitted for energy efficiency through the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland scheme, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority.

Question reference: S4O-03803

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of an aging population on pensioners' rights.

Question reference: S4O-03783

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to support local authorities in meeting demand for care home provision.

Question reference: S4W-23144

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 26 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on projections from the National Records of Scotland that, by 2037, a third of all households will be headed by someone aged over 65 and the number of people living alone is set to rise by 51%.

At the annual Scottish Older People's Assembly in the Scottish Parliament on 31 October 2014, the then Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners’ Rights reiterated the Scottish Government's commitment to improving the lives of older people in Scotland, and our recognition that older people make a significant contribution to Scotland and play a crucial role in our society. Age, Home and Community: A Strategy For Housing For Scotland's Older People: 2012-21 (December 2011) is our national strategy for housing for older people, and it sets out a clear vision of enabling older people to live independently at home for as long as they wish to. We also recognise the importance of tackling loneliness and social isolation, and are funding initiatives such as Age Scotland's Silverline (launched in October 2013) to help address this issue. We will continue to work with key partners including COSLA, Age Scotland, the Scottish Older People's Assembly and others, to improve the lives of older people in Scotland in line with demographic developments over the years and decades to come.

Question reference: S4W-23007

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 21 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on local authorities identifying a proportion of social rented properties for older people when major developments are proposed by private developers.

Scottish Planning Policy requires consideration in development plans of the housing requirement across all tenures, including affordable. The development plan will also consider the provision of a range of specialist housing as evidenced in the housing need and demand assessments whilst also reflecting local housing policy.

Where a shortage of affordable housing (including social rent), has been identified, the development plan should show the role that planning will take to try to address this. Planning authorities should consider whether it is appropriate to allocate some small sites specifically for affordable housing (including for social rent). Advice on the range of possible options for provision of affordable housing is set out in Planning Advice Note 2/2010.

Plans should identify any expected private developer contributions towards the delivery of affordable housing (including social rent). The level of affordable housing required as a contribution within a market site should generally be no more than 25% of the total number of houses.

Question reference: S4W-23006

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 21 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that sufficient numbers of social rented housing projects are identified in local plan allocations for specific sites.

The Scottish Government provides a framework for planning and housing through Scottish Planning Policy and guidance on undertaking housing need and demand assessments (HNDAs) and developing local housing strategies. This framework supports local authorities, who have strategic responsibility for housing within their areas, to determine the appropriate mix of new housing to be delivered. It is for local authorities to decide the type, tenure, size and location of new housing for their areas, based on the HNDA evidence.

The HNDA will show the requirement for new affordable housing, including the number of social rented homes needed, in the local authority area.

Taking cognisance of the HNDA evidence and the local authority’s policy for the provision of affordable housing (including social rent), the development plan will set out the scale and distribution of the affordable housing requirement for the area.

Advice on the range of options for provision of affordable housing is set out in Planning Advice Note 2/2010. Part of the consideration undertaken will be whether it is appropriate to allocate some small sites specifically for affordable housing, including social rent.

Question reference: S4W-23005

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 21 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that local authorities prepare policies to support the delivery of appropriate owner-occupied housing for older people and allocate specific sites, as specified in paragraph 132 of the Scottish Planning Policy.

The Scottish Government provides a framework for planning and housing policy, which includes Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and guidance on housing need and demand assessments (HNDAs) and local housing strategies. This framework supports local authorities, who have strategic responsibility for housing within their areas, to determine the appropriate mix of new housing. It is therefore for local authorities to decide the type, tenure, size and location of new housing for their areas and to ensure that the needs of older people are taken into account though their development plans and local housing strategies in accordance with national guidance.

In its role in commenting on the form and content of development plans, the Scottish Government makes informal comments and/or representations to ensure compliance with national planning policy, including that stated in SPP paragraph 132 as appropriate.

All local authorities use the that requires them to include an assessment of specialist housing provision, which includes giving consideration to the needs of older people. Authorities also estimate what future housing will be required, including for owner-occupation, to meet the needs of all household types, including for older people.

Question reference: S4W-23004

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 21 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that sufficient, appropriate owner-occupied housing for older people is constructed.

The Scottish Government provides a framework for planning and housing through Scottish Planning Policy and guidance on undertaking housing need and demand assessments (HNDAs) and developing local housing strategies. This framework supports local authorities, who have strategic responsibility for housing within their areas, to determine the appropriate mix of new housing to be delivered. It is for local authorities to decide the type, tenure, size and location of new housing for their areas, based on the HNDA evidence, including giving full consideration to the needs of older people through their development plan and local housing strategy, in accordance with national guidance.

Furthermore, current Scottish building regulations and supporting guidance mean new homes across all tenures are the most accessible in the UK. Measures introduced in 2007 focus on assisting those with a disability, however these can also benefit older people, enabling them to stay in their homes for longer.

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