Seòmar agus comataidhean

The reasons for the Commissioners’ resignations are a matter of public record as set out in letters to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee.

I am grateful to the Chair and Commissioners for their contributions to the Commission and thank them for their service.

As the Commission is an independent public body any issues relating to internal relationships are for the Commission to manage .

Guidance relating to digital communications infrastructure is currently being developed to replace Planning Advice Note 62. We intend to publish this updated guidance before the end of 2023.

As the legal duty to accommodate homeless households lies with local authorities, the responsibility for ensuring that the temporary accommodation provided meets the temporary accommodation standards framework rests with local authorities. These standards relate to all types of temporary accommodation to ensure that the quality of all temporary accommodation is of good standard and meets all of the needs of the household. The standards framework covers four main areas: physical, location, service and management.

Social housing landlords must ensure that they meet all of their legal duties and responsibilities and that they adhere to the relevant guidance and requirements of other regulators. Social landlords, including local authorities, must submit a mandatory Annual Assurance Statement to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) to provide assurance that their organisation complies with the relevant requirements of chapter 3 of the Regulatory Framework .

The SHR monitors, assesses and reports on all landlords’ compliance with regulatory requirements and performance of housing activities. All 32 local authorities are included in their annual risk assessment. An indicator used by the SHR to assess risk in relation to performance in delivering services is the percentage of tenants satisfied with the quality of their home.

Where the SHR requires further information and assurance from a local authority, an engagement plan will be published setting out what the social landlord needs to do and what the SHR will do.

We welcome the report by Shelter Scotland. The Scottish Government is committed to including ongoing consideration of what more can be done to improve outcomes for BAME people within social housing.

Our Housing to 2040 strategy continues to provide the frame for our work to advance equality of outcomes in housing, with our vision for what we want homes and communities to look and feel like for the people of Scotland. In this we have recognised and committed to address the housing challenges faced by minority ethnic communities and highlighted that we must act on what we already know, as well as taking steps to improve our evidence base.

Our Programme for Government confirmed the intention to introduce a Housing Bill to deliver a New Deal for Tenants, including the introduction of long-term rent controls which will apply to homes rented privately.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21182 on‎ 22 September 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government aims to publish a draft strategy for consultation in Spring 2024.

Social Security Scotland do not make decisions on whether an application is fraudulent. Where fraud is suspected, appropriate investigations would be undertaken and when complete, a report would be made to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal for their consideration. If after due process a conviction is achieved, fraud is then confirmed by the Scottish Judicial System.

Prevention of fraud is a priority, with measures and controls embedded in Social Security Scotland’s processes and systems to minimise the opportunities for fraud.

With regards to combined levels of both fraud and error these are included in the Social Security Scotland Annual Report and Accounts.

Social Security Scotland carefully considers the information on counter fraud activity that can be placed into the public domain to ensure that any information released does not undermine the ability of Social Security Scotland to prevent and detect crime.

The Scottish Government is in the process of agreeing a timeline for the development of the Palliative Care Strategy with the Strategy Steering Group for Palliative Care, and will publish this once agreed.

As part of the work to develop a new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy, the Strategy Steering Group for Palliative Care will consider the financial implications of delivery.