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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-43958

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what statutory powers and operational functions the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland, will exercise; whether it will have borrowing powers or the ability to directly commission, develop or own housing stock, and what assessment it has made of potential duplication of functions with existing housing bodies or local authorities.

More Homes Scotland is in its design phase: its powers and functions will be confirmed once this work is complete. I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-43955 on 11 March 2026.

I will update Parliament in March on the ongoing process to design the agency’s functions and operating model.

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.

Question reference: S6W-43956

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected annual budget for the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland will be for each of the next five financial years; what proportion of this represents new funding as opposed to reallocated funding; what estimate it has made of the (a) administrative and (b) set-up costs; whether a business case or cost–benefit analysis has been completed and, if so, whether this will be published.

We expect set-up costs to be incurred over the period 2026-27 to 2028-29, when the agency is expected to be operational, and estimate these costs to be around £2 million, although this will depend on the scope of its design and operating model.

The projected annual budget, the proportion representing new rather than reallocated funding, and the agency’s ongoing administrative costs are still to be determined as part of this ongoing design process.

Question reference: S6W-43957

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland, is expected to employ at establishment; how many are anticipated will transfer from existing public bodies or the core Scottish Government; what governance arrangements are proposed for the agency, including whether it will have a board and chief executive, and what the timetable is for appointments to these roles.

Question reference: S6W-43955

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the proposed legal status will be of the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland; under what existing or proposed legislation it will be established; whether primary or secondary legislation will be required, and what the timetable is for its formal establishment.

We expect the agency to start operating from 2027-28 and to be fully functional in 2028-29. Insofar as this question concerns the legal status of the new housing agency, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43954 on 11 March 2026. 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.

Question reference: S6W-43954

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what specific housing delivery targets and key performance indicators will be assigned to the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland; what increase in annual housing completions it anticipates will result from its establishment; when policy development work on this commenced, and what stakeholder consultation (a) has been carried out and (b) is planned.

We are investing a record £926 million in 2026-27 as part of up to £4.9 billion funding over four years to help deliver 36,000 affordable homes, providing safe, warm homes for up to 24,000 children. More Homes Scotland is in its design phase, so specific delivery targets, KPIs and any anticipated increase in completions will be confirmed once this work is complete.

Since 22 January, my officials and I have started a programme of extensive stakeholder engagement as part of this design phase. I will provide an update to Parliament in March.

Question reference: S6W-44155

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the Planning Hub’s (a) current staff structure, (b) resourcing capacity, (c) number of full-time equivalent staff currently in post and (d) planned resourcing for 2026-27.

Question reference: S6W-44154

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can confirm that the next quarterly all-tenure housing statistics will be published before the next parliamentary elections.

Question reference: S6W-44153

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the next planning performance statistics will be published.

Question reference: S6W-43871

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025, whether temporary accommodation will be included as part of the regulations to set deadlines for landlords to fix damp and mould hazards (Awaab’s Law).

The draft Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026, if agreed by Parliament, will apply to all accommodation provided under a private residential, Scottish secure or short Scottish secure tenancy. This means that Awaab’s Law extends to temporary accommodation, such as accommodation provided under a short Scottish secure tenancy. However, I recognise that other types of temporary accommodation are utilised by local authorities.

Whilst the type of tenancy is determined by local authorities, all temporary accommodation they provide must comply with the Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework and the Tolerable Standard.

As part of our next steps, we will be engaging with stakeholders to understand how Awaab’s Law can be extended further, including to other types of temporary accommodation that is not currently covered.

Question reference: S6O-05564

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it provides to support research into finding a cure for motor neurone disease.