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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current status; not started, currently on site, completed, and those that were approved but have subsequently now been withdrawn from the programme.

When affordable housing supply programme projects are submitted to the Scottish Government for approval an estimated completion date will have been provided. Details on approvals by financial year can be found in our published statistics at the following link, in the table ‘Affordable Housing Supply Programme Summary Tables – new style’ .

https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/

Local authorities have statutory responsibility for improving houses in their area and broad discretionary powers to provide advice and support to owners. It is for a local authority to determine whether this is best provided through a local care and repair service or directly by the local authority.

In connection with the new standard for fire and smoke alarms, Care and Repair Scotland have undertaken to liaise with local services that are adjacent to areas that do not have a service, and, if it is possible, to provide support across the boundaries, but this will depend on the practicalities of delivering support and the agreement of the local authority concerned.

In the case of South Ayrshire support for the purpose of assistance with fire alarms is being provided by the service at Shire Housing Association, which provides the Care and Repair service for East Ayrshire. Contact details are available on their website at https://shirehousing.co.uk/our-services/care-repair/ .

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.

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 does not have information of the rate of manufacture of interlinked fire alarms. We are aware that, following our successful public awareness campaign, there is significant public interest in carrying out work to comply with the new standard for fire alarms in all Scottish homes. It is, therefore, possible, that some retailers will have short term supply issues. We are also aware that some manufacturers are dependent on import of components, and that has been affected by Brexit, and this may also have affected their production. However, we have been assured by manufacturers that there is a sufficient supply of alarms available to meet the expected demand by 1 February 2022, when the new standard comes into force.

In relation to the funding provided to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service from Scottish Government, all of the funding was spent in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial year.

There has been an increase in the overall numbers of students studying pharmacy with more Scottish domiciled students undertaking the course. In 2020/21 there was an increase of 51 undergraduate students accepted in to first year and again an increase of 53 undergraduate pharmacy students in 2021/22.

The two Schools of Pharmacy in Scotland are encouraging applicants from parts of Scotland where there are gaps in the pharmacy workforce and working with schools to promote pharmacy as a career.

The Scottish Government continues to work with NHS National Education for Scotland and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in developing a joint programme to encourage more students, and not just school leavers, to consider careers in pharmacy .

Since August, I have both corresponded and spoken with the Principal at the University of Dundee on a number of occasions to reiterate the need to continue negotiations with all three trade unions involved in this industrial action.

The most recent conversation was on 28 October.

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business.

We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage and to protect the integrity of the process we will not be making any further comment at this time.