Seòmar agus comataidhean

I agree with Emma Roddick that it is frustrating that the UK Government plans to spend £100 million on discretionary housing payments for all of England and Wales in 2022-23, while the Scottish Government will spend £80 million to mitigate the impact of cuts to the welfare system. The fact that we need to spend that money at all shows that the UK welfare system is not fit for purpose. If we did not have to mitigate UK Government policies that have been imposed on us, we could further invest in measures to tackle the priorities of this Parliament, including poverty. I appeal again to the UK Government to get rid of the bedroom tax at source.

We have provided the City of Edinburgh Council with £6.3 million to date to develop and implement its rapid rehousing transition plan. That includes funding through the housing first programme for about 170 people with multiple and complex needs.

In addition, we have provided more than £600,000 to establish a rapid rehousing welcome centre for people at risk of rough sleeping, and more than £21,000 of flexible emergency funding to front-line homelessness organisations.

We are also delivering new homes. Since 2007, Edinburgh has received £558 million through our affordable housing supply programme funding, and it will benefit from nearly £234 million in this parliamentary session.

The support that is available varies depending on the person’s status. People who arrive through United Kingdom refugee resettlement programmes are usually supported by local authorities, having been matched with housing that was identified by the local authority prior to their arrival. All 32 of Scotland’s local authorities have supported refugee resettlement.

People who arrive in the UK through a visa programme are usually responsible for finding their own accommodation, and they may be restricted from accessing local authority housing or housing benefit by conditions that are set out in UK Government-reserved immigration legislation. People who are seeking asylum are restricted from accessing council housing or housing benefit. They must apply for Home Office support and accommodation if they would otherwise be destitute.

Both we and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities have made it clear to the UK Government that Scotland stands ready to play our part. We are absolutely committed to continue to support people who may be displaced, and to provide support from day 1 of their arrival.

Maggie Chapman makes a number of really important points. The Scottish Government is clear that refugees and people who are seeking asylum must be treated fairly and with dignity and respect at all times. Integration should be supported from day 1, and people should be accommodated in the community with the support that they need to rebuild their lives.

The current situation, in which thousands of people are in hotels across the UK, is a reflection of the UK Government’s failing asylum and resettlement systems, which will, of course, become worse if the Nationality and Borders Bill is passed. Unfortunately, the UK Government’s response so far to the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis has shown that lessons have not been learned. We need a comprehensive settlement programme that focuses on people’s needs and ensures partnership with the Scottish Government, local authorities, the third sector and, importantly, communities.

As the member can imagine, we are in regular discussion with the UK Government about the issue. As I said, there is a need for a sizeable Government-led resettlement programme that is up to the scale of the task, and we continue to urge the UK Government to take that action. The First Minister has written to the Prime Minister urging the UK Government to waive all visa requirements for any Ukrainian national seeking refuge in the UK and to offer immediate refuge and sanctuary for all those who may be displaced. We have to stand in solidarity, and we need to be ready. As I said, we stand ready to provide that practical support, aid and sanctuary for those who need it.

We appreciate that this is a difficult time for affected home owners, and my officials are in regular contact as we progress our pilot programme of work. Within that programme, multiple surveys are on-going. The reports will be finalised in the coming weeks and will allow us to understand what actions need to be taken to further support home owners in those buildings. We first have to assess buildings to ensure that the complex engineering requirements of each building can be addressed appropriately. We continue to urge developers to play their part where construction is found to be unsafe. We remain in discussions with the United Kingdom Government regarding its plans for its £4 billion developers fund.

Our “Housing to 2040” strategy recognises the importance of tackling vacant properties and highlights a range of actions. Those include support to local authorities through empty homes partnerships, use of the £50 million vacant and derelict land investment programme and supporting the delivery of homes in town centres and at the heart of communities by repurposing existing properties. Our affordable housing supply programme already supports the redevelopment of existing properties. During the second half of our 110,000 affordable homes target, we will accelerate funding to bring more existing homes into the programme, as well as building new ones.

The draft national planning framework 4 proposes a stronger planning policy position on tackling vacant and derelict land and buildings, which will play an important role in helping to support and improve wellbeing for local communities. In addition, last year, we launched our low-carbon vacant and derelict land investment programme, which aims to help tackle persistent vacant and derelict land. The fund is built around four pillars of action—urban green spaces, community-led regeneration, low-carbon housing and renewable energy. The fund will open for stage 1 applications in April, and all local authorities are eligible to apply.

As Paul Sweeney recognised, VAT is a reserved matter, but I am happy to hear more about his suggestion. If he wants to write to me with more details, I am always happy to consider suggestions. I laid out in my initial answers a determination to look at vacant and derelict land, as well as buildings that need to be repurposed, and I am keen that we use our collective resources across Government to do that. We need to do everything that we can to enhance the affordable housing supply programme and regenerate some of our town centres. I am happy to hear more details of what Paul Sweeney was suggesting.

We estimate spend on discretionary housing payments to be £82 million in 2021-22, which is up from the £71 million that was budgeted for in 2020-21. Of that, £71 million mitigates the bedroom tax in full and helps more than 92,000 households in Scotland to sustain their tenancies. An additional £10.9 million mitigates the damaging impact of other United Kingdom Government welfare cuts, including the benefit cap and changes to the local housing allowance rates. We estimate the DHP budget to be £79 million in 2022-23. Of that, £68.1 million will be used to continue to mitigate the bedroom tax.