Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-13839

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Home Owners' Support Fund system was reportedly decommissioned in late 2021; what impact this has had on new and outstanding applications since it was decommissioned, and what the new system will cost.

The previous HOSF casework management system was built between 2008-2010 using legacy software that could no longer be supported.

The impact on existing and new applications to HOSF has been minimal as this was a stand-alone system that was not integrated into the application process.

In the interim period prior to the rollout of a new digital system, all cases have been moved to an alternative temporary solution. There is some additional work involved with the drafting of offer letters using the contingency process, however this is balanced with the improvements we have been able to make in other areas, such as better visibility of workflow and performance reporting. The new digital system is being designed to build on the process improvements already made.

Work on the new system is ongoing and the cost will depend on the final solution which will be chosen after the testing of prototypes.

Question reference: S6W-13786

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the reasons for lenders reportedly not offering mortgages on properties in cladded buildings in Scotland that are in accordance with the new RICS Standards and Regulation Board guidance, Valuation approach for properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding, which came into effect in December 2022, and whether any changes are required to be made to the cladding remediation programme to ensure that the guidance is applicable in Scotland.

The safety of residents and homeowners in Scotland is our priority as we work to tackle cladding safety issues. We are aware of the difficulties that some people are facing in accessing mortgages for buildings with potentially unsafe cladding. Work has been undertaken between the UK Government and UK Finance to develop a solution which reflects the situation in England and we are in urgent discussion with UK Finance about adapting that solution for Scotland as quickly as possible. The Single Building Assessment is a crucial element in identifying issues in buildings with potentially unsafe cladding in Scotland. We expect the vast majority of buildings to be found to be safe, but we first have to carry out comprehensive and technical assessments. This is a complex and time-consuming programme, and a number of assessments are either at final or pre-final reporting stage. We have issued funding to start remediation work and are continuing to work through Homes for Scotland with housing developers on our Safer Buildings Accord, which is being designed to give affected homeowners a clear path to ensuring their homes are safe.

Question reference: S6O-01821

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what guidance it gives to landlords in all sectors to help prevent and deal with damp, condensation and mould in their properties, including when this was last revised.

Question reference: S6W-12902

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on administering the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund.

The total spend on administration of the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund is £433,886.88.

Admin costs 2020-21 = £240,217.20 inclusive of VAT

Admin costs 2021-22 = £162,210.30 inclusive of VAT

Admin costs 2022-23 (until October 2022) = £31,459.38 inclusive of VAT

This is the administration costs for loan fund awards with a total value of £733,894.

The Tenant Hardship Loan Fund was one part of a range of support and interventions put in place to help people who were struggling with rent because of changes to their finances caused by the Pandemic.

To enable the loan fund to be delivered quickly given the infra-structure and resource requirements, an existing contract with Energy Savings Trust for administration of the loan was extended.

Administration costs for the fund are based on a contractually agreed annual management fee, dependant on whether the scheme is open or closed, combined with a cost per application, regardless of whether the application resulted in a successful award or not.

The loan fund was demand led and affordability and ability to repay a loan was a key part of the assessment of all applications to protect applicants from unsustainable borrowing.

Question reference: S6W-12903

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what value of Tenant Hardship Loan Fund loans have (i) been (A) repaid and (B) written off and (ii) yet to be repaid and remain outstanding.

Question reference: S6W-13274

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it requires (a) registered social and (b) private residential landlords to (i) organise in relation to voids and (ii) offer to undertake the installation of smart meters to prospective tenants; how any such requirements are enforced, and what feasibility assessment it has conducted of modifying the (A) Scottish Housing Quality Standard and (B) repairing standard to introduce such changes.

Regulation of energy markets and consequently smart meter policy is reserved to the UK Government.

There are currently no requirements on landlords, whether social or private, to undertake installation of smart metering equipment as energy suppliers are responsible for undertaking this work. Suppliers are required to aim to install smart metering equipment in all homes and are required to do so at no up front cost. It would be for the energy supplier to arrange with the account holder to install the required equipment. In the majority of cases the account holder would be the tenant.

Given this, there are currently no plans to amend the Scottish Housing Quality Standard or the Repairing Standard to introduce requirements on landlords to install smart meters.

Smart meters have an important role to play in helping the Scottish Government achieve our aim of increasing energy efficiency across Scotland as well as helping consumers manage their spend on energy. At the recent energy summit chaired by the First Minister, we committed to working with partners to increase the number of households with smart meters in Scotland, with a focus on rural areas, by highlighting the benefits they can deliver in terms of both energy bills and energy efficiency. As part of this work, we will continue to call upon BEIS and Ofgem to take the necessary action to ensure all households eligible for a smart meter have the opportunity to install one in their home.

Question reference: S6W-13352

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed 24% reduction in spending on More Homes in 2023-24, what its revised resource planning assumptions are for local authorities to plan their housing supply for 2021-22 to 2025-26, broken down by local authority area.

The 24% reduction is when comparing the total More Homes budget in 2023-24 against the total More Homes budget in 2022-23. The profile of our more than £3.5 billion commitment over this parliament varies from year to year as do its component parts which include capital, financial transactions and anticipated receipts.

The £751.945m budget for 2023-24 for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme has reduced by 4.7% from that previously planned, a net decrease of £37.320m, and will be supplemented by donations from the Charitable Bond Programme and contributions from the Heat in Buildings Fund for the installation of zero emission heating systems in affordable homes where these systems are installed.

Our guidance asks Local Authorities to over plan in their Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) programmes against these planning assumptions by at least 25% to mitigate delays to housing programmes. There are therefore no plans to revise Resource Planning Assumptions for 2023-24. Any in year funding pressures that emerge will be managed in discussion with local partners. Planned annual budgets for the remainder of the parliament have not been reduced.

Question reference: S6W-13276

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what right a prospective tenant has at the point of signing a (a) private residential and (b) Scottish secure tenancy to request that a (i) credit and (ii) smart meter be installed in the property.

The Scottish Government is not involved in provision or installation of smart meters. Regulation of energy markets is reserved to the UK Government and subsequently the smart meter programme is owned and led by them.

There are currently no rights for a prospective tenant at the point of signing a (a) private residential and (b) Scottish secure tenancy to request that a (i) credit and (ii) smart meter be installed in the property.

It would be for the account holder to arrange with the energy supplier to install the required equipment. In the majority of cases the account holder would be the tenant.

Smart meters have an important role to play in helping the Scottish Government achieve our aim of increasing energy efficiency across Scotland as well as helping consumers manage their spend on energy. At the recent energy summit chaired by the First Minister, we committed to working with partners to increase the number of households with smart meters in Scotland, with a focus on rural areas, by highlighting the benefits they can deliver in terms of both energy bills and energy efficiency. As part of this work, we will continue to call upon BEIS and Ofgem to take the necessary action to ensure all households eligible for a smart meter have the opportunity to install one in their home.

Question reference: S6W-13275

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) owner-occupied (b) private rented (b) social and affordable rented properties have a (i) credit, (ii) prepayment and (iii) smart meter installed.

According to the 2019 Scottish House Condition Survey, 17% of all households in Scotland have a pre-payment meter and 33% have a smart meter.

35% of owner occupied households have a smart meter and 5% have a pre-payment meter. Around 20% of private rented dwellings have smart meters and 21% have pre-payment meters. In the social sector, 33% of households have smart meters and 43% have pre-payment meters.

However, the Scottish Government does not collect any data on households with standard credit meters.

Question reference: S6W-13334

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the changes made by the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (additional amount: transactions relating to second homes etc.) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2022, what the forecast Additional Dwelling Supplement is for (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords, when purchasing off-the-shelf properties.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission is the independent fiscal institution for Scotland, with a statutory duty to provide the independent and official forecasts of the Scottish economy, devolved taxes and devolved social security spending.

Forecasts for the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Additional Dwelling Supplement for the period to 2027-28 are set out in Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts, published on 15 December 2022. A breakdown of the forecasts related to local authorities, registered social landlords or any other type of organisation is not available.

The call for evidence and views on the LBTT Additional Dwelling Supplement sought views on the case for extending the relief available to local authorities where properties are purchased for affordable housing purposes. The Scottish Government will publish its response to the call for evidence and views early this year and launch a consultation on draft legislation.

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Chamber and committees