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Paul McLennan: Homeowners who are concerned about their finances should contact their lender as soon as possible to discuss the options available to help them.

HOSF is a scheme of last resort that is offered to home owners who are most in need. The scheme is aimed at low-income households in Scotland, who own properties within the bottom 20% of the housing market and are at risk of repossession and eviction from their home. Applicants must have either mortgage arrears or have an interest only mortgage that has reached the end of its term with no option to repay the loan or to re-mortgage.

Those who need it can access the scheme through accredited money advice services. Suitably qualified money advisers are best placed to determine if a home owner will benefit from applying to the HOSF scheme. Money advisers ensure all options are considered as part of holistic advice.

Sections 52 and 53 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 provide Scottish Ministers with powers to request information and carry out inspections. Reports are not made to Scottish Ministers using these provisions therefore none have been received.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10243 on 7 September 2022. The Scottish Government does not collect data on the number of enquiries relating to the Home Owners Support Fund (HOSF).

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Paul McLennan: During the last 12 months (January – December 2023), 40 new applications were made to the Homeowners Support Fund (HOSF).

All applicants to HOSF receive advice from an accredited money adviser who offer holistic services that best meet applicant’s needs. Accredited money advisers are appropriately qualified to determine when homeowners meet the HOSF eligibility criteria. This ensures all options and potential solutions have been considered before an application is made. All 40 applications were accepted for further consideration by SG officials.

Applications are made to the overall HOSF programme, and all are assessed by SG officials to determine suitability for either Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) or Mortgage to Rent (MTR). Every application is carefully considered.

The most recent bulletin on Criminal Proceedings in Scotland covers cases that concluded in court up to the end of March 2022. There are no convictions under Section 56 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 up to this point.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-21426 on 2 October 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Local Development Plan regulations, which came into force last year, require planning authorities to have regard to any Local Housing Strategy when preparing their plans. This includes their outcomes and actions to address housing need and demand.

National Planning Framework 4 forms part of the statutory development plan and sits alongside Local Development Plans. It contains a general expectation of at least 25% affordable housing provision on development sites, but allows some flexibility to reflect local circumstances. The NPF4 definition of affordable housing explicitly includes ‘housing sold at discount’.

The Scottish Government is engaging with the UK Government on their response to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council’s (IIAC) report. We continue to work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to understand the implications of any future changes to legislation. This typically includes modelling relating to awards and applications.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) is currently being delivered by the UK Government in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government through an agency agreement. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) do not publish data on total IIDB awards for specific prescribed diseases. According to DWP data, between 1 April 2020 and 1 April 2023, 363 people made an application for IIDB in relation to pneumoconiosis in Scotland. There were 306 awards processed for pneumoconiosis in Scotland in this time period.

The Scottish Government cannot comment on how many people would be impacted if these recommendations were accepted by the UK Government at this stage. We continue to work with the DWP to understand the implications of any future changes to legislation.

The Industrial Injuries Scheme (IIS) continues to be delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) though an agency agreement. The agreement requires alignment between the way in which IIS is delivered in Scotland and its delivery in the rest of the UK and therefore any changes to the UK legislation to be reflected in relevant Scottish legislation. This would typically require a Scottish statutory instrument.