- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 3 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to cap the installation costs of clean heating systems.
Answer
As set out in Parliament today, we intend to bring forward a Heat in Buildings Bill in Year 5 of this Parliamentary session.
We intend this Bill to introduce a statutory clean heating target for all buildings in Scotland to be decarbonised by 2045, as far as possible.
We understand that achieving this target will require a mix of technologies, and that different solutions will be needed in different types of buildings and for different people.
We also know that, while this Bill may not intend to legally require individuals to change their heating system now, any future ask of individuals must be fair and reasonable. That is why our consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill last year recognised that a cost cap could play a key role in supporting any future heat in building standard. This was to ensure that homeowners and businesses were not required to pay unreasonable costs, as well as providing an understanding of the maximum costs individuals may face in complying with regulations.
We will continue to consider the need and appropriateness of introducing a cost cap for any proposed legislation that introduces requirements on individuals.
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 3 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of whether the target for all (a) properties of private landlords reaching a minimum standard equivalent to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least band C by the end of 2028, (b) properties of homeowners reaching a minimum standard equivalent to an EPC rating of at least band C by the end of 2033, (c) building owners ending their use of polluting heating by 2045 and (d) buildings owned by a public authority using clean heating systems by the end of 2038, remains achievable.
Answer
As set out in Parliament today, we intend to bring forward a Heat in Buildings Bill in Year 5 of this Parliamentary session.
We intend this Bill to introduce a statutory clean heating target for all buildings in Scotland to be decarbonised by 2045, as far as possible.
We know that improving energy efficiency is vital in reducing heat demand in buildings, and that it makes buildings warmer and easier to heat, and can reduce bills. For this reason, we also intend to include powers in the Heat in Buildings Bill to introduce regulations in the future for non-domestic and domestic owner-occupied buildings to reach a minimum energy efficiency standard, should this be appropriate.
To accompany this, we intend to progress now with a minimum energy efficiency standard in the private rented sector using existing primary powers in the Energy Act 2011. This means that all privately rented homes in Scotland would be required to meet energy performance certificate band C, on reformed energy performance certificates, as far as possible, by a specific date. This date is yet to be finalised but will not be as soon as 2028. This is to reflect the need to give the sector sufficient notice ahead of making required changes. Any proposed regulations will be consulted on, and engagement with stakeholders will be prioritised, to ensure regulations are achievable.
In terms of the public sector, where available, the public sector will be required to take action to connect to heat networks in line with build-out of the heat network. For the rest of the public sector estate, the target date of 2045 will apply. This is to account for any potential additional challenges of decarbonising buildings outside of heat network zones, for example in more remote areas.
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 2 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid in total to date on staff costs for officials who have worked on the (a) proposed Heat in Buildings Bill and (b) Heat in Buildings Strategy.
Answer
It is not possible to determine the internal Scottish Government costs attributed to staff time spent on the Heat in Buildings Bill proposals or the Heat in Buildings Strategy. Scottish Government officials operate flexibly across a range of policies and programmes according to the specific requirements of their work at any given time. They do not, as a matter of course, record the proportion of their time spent working on different matters.
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards have designated single-sex spaces for women.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2025
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 19 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in the Shelter Scotland report, In Their Own Words: Children’s Experiences in Temporary Accommodation, what immediate steps it is taking to guarantee that all temporary accommodation meets basic standards of safety, cleanliness and suitability for households with children, and what enforcement measures it will put in place to hold (a) landlords and (b) providers accountable.
Answer
Scottish local authorities use a diverse portfolio of temporary accommodation and there is a wide variety of legislation that caters for physical standards across these types of accommodation. These include the tolerable standard, which is a basic level of repair that applies to all property to make it habitable; the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, which applies to social rented sector properties; Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing for bed and breakfast accommodation and hostels; and the repairing standard in the private rented sector.
All local authorities should ensure that the temporary accommodation they provide to fulfil their duty to accommodate homeless households meets the temporary accommodation standards framework, published by the Scottish Government in 2023. The framework sets out the physical, location, service and management standards to ensure that temporary accommodation is of good quality and is safe, warm and affordable. Although consultation is required before the framework can be legally enforced, the framework was developed to ensure consistency in standards across all local authority areas.
The Scottish Housing Regulator assesses the compliance of all social landlords in meeting the tolerable standard and Scottish Housing Quality Standard, and would be obliged to assess landlords’ performance on meeting the temporary accommodation standards framework once it is enforced. Work is required to develop indicators to enable the Scottish Housing Regulator to assess local authority performance against the framework. In the meantime, social landlords should ensure that their temporary accommodation meets these standards.
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people live in safe, warm homes, in light of reports that the number of properties falling below the "tolerable standard" in order to be fit for habitation has increased from an estimated 54,000 in 2018 to 729,000 in 2023.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2025
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 28 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for spending any unclaimed deposits held by SafeDeposits Scotland, and what any such money has been used to fund in each year for which data is available.
Answer
The Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 place a duty on scheme administrators to safeguard a tenant’s deposit in a designated account until it is repaid following the end of the tenancy. No end date is provided for within the regulations. As such, where a tenancy deposit is unclaimed, the schemes are required to continue to protect the unclaimed funds indefinitely and they cannot be used. The Housing (Scotland) Bill, if passed, will include provision to change this, so that unclaimed funds may be used to the benefit of private rented sector tenants.
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 28 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to deposits held by SafeDeposits Scotland, whether any accumulated interest remains with the deposit scheme, and, if it does not, what happens to such money.
Answer
As per The Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011, any accumulated interest must be held by the respective deposit scheme in a designated account.
The interest can be withdrawn from designated accounts to meet the costs of the scheme, improve the quality of service provided by the scheme or to distribute, apply or invest interest, where investment will not adversely affect the viability of the scheme. The self-financing scheme model allows for the tenancy deposit schemes to provide their services free of charge to tenants, landlords and letting agents.
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 28 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what the average time is for a deposit to be returned to a tenant following the end of their tenancy agreement.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this specific data.
There are two key performance indicators outlined in the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 that relate to the return of deposits. The return of any undisputed deposit, is to be completed within 5 working days.
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 28 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum time period allowed is to return a deposit to a tenant following the end of a tenancy agreement.
Answer
There is no maximum time period on when a deposit can be returned to a tenant following the end of a tenancy agreement and unclaimed deposit funds will continue to be protected by the relevant scheme administrators indefinitely. A tenant is able to request the return of their deposit from the date that their tenancy ends onwards.
The Housing (Scotland) Bill will, if passed, introduce timescales in which a deposit will be considered unclaimed and therefore available for transfer to Scottish Ministers or appointed third parties. However, former tenants will still be able to reclaim their tenancy deposit after the reclaim period has past where they can demonstrate reasonable excuse for not doing so within the relevant period.
