Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-13119

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12689 by John Swinney on 8 December 2022, how many repossessed dwellings that had been receiving an exemption from council tax subsequently ceased to receive that exemption in each month of 2022, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-13065

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) remit, (b) lifespan, (c) terms of reference and (d) work programme is for the joint working group on local government finance; how frequently it will meet, and whether (i) agendas, (ii) minutes and (iii) papers will be published.

As set out in the answer to S6W-12943 on 20 December 2022, the Joint Working Group, which includes COSLA and the Scottish Green Party commenced it work, initially focussing on targeted changes to Council Tax to reflect the current circumstances created by the cost crisis. The group will also consider approaches to longer term reform, utilising the development of effective deliberative engagement, on sources of Local Government funding and Council Tax. I will ensure that Parliament is kept appraised of this work at suitable junctures.

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: S6T-01061

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statement by COSLA expressing Council Leaders' extreme disappointment with the proposed budget settlement for local government and its presentation lacking consistency with a partnership approach, and their invitation to the Deputy First Minister to attend a special meeting.

Question reference: S6W-12764

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10463 by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022, how many proposed (a) homes and (b) projects included in affordable housing supply programme grant applications that it has received have been (i) below and (ii) above benchmark, also broken down by baseline benchmark type, in (A) August, (B) September, (C) October and (D) November 2022.

The following table shows number of homes and projects that have been submitted for approval in August, September, October and November 2022, broken down by baseline benchmark type and whether above, at, or below benchmark. To note that the table includes some projects still under active appraisal:

City and Urban

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Submitted against Benchmark	11	10	13	15	49
Total No. of Homes Submitted against Benchmark	226	226	321	502	1,275
No. of Projects Submitted ABOVE Benchmark	7	5	10	11	33
No. of Homes Submitted ABOVE Benchmark	156	155	258	243	812
No. of Projects Submitted AT Benchmark		1	2	2	5
No. of Homes Submitted AT Benchmark		24	53	54	131
No. of Projects Submitted BELOW Benchmark	4	4	1	2	11
No. of Homes Submitted BELOW Benchmark	70	47	10	205	332

Other Rural

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Submitted against Benchmark	1	4	1	3	9
Total No. of Homes Submitted against Benchmark	28	99	1	63	191
No. of Projects Submitted ABOVE Benchmark		2	1	3	6
No. of Homes Submitted ABOVE Benchmark		23	1	55	79
No. of Projects Submitted AT Benchmark	1	1			2
No. of Homes Submitted AT Benchmark	28	20			48
No. of Projects Submitted BELOW Benchmark		1		1	2
No. of Homes Submitted BELOW Benchmark		56		8	64

West Highland, Island Authorities & Remote/ Rural Argyll

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Submitted against Benchmark	1	1	2	1	5
Total No. of Homes Submitted against Benchmark	4	4	12	14	34
No. of Projects Submitted ABOVE Benchmark	1	1	2	1	5
No. of Homes Submitted ABOVE Benchmark	4	4	12	14	34
No. of Projects Submitted AT Benchmark					0
No. of Homes Submitted AT Benchmark					0
No. of Projects Submitted BELOW Benchmark					0
No. of Homes Submitted BELOW Benchmark					0

Question reference: S6W-12763

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10464 by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022, how many proposed (a) homes and (b) projects included in affordable housing supply programme grant applications that it has agreed to have been (i) below and (ii) above benchmark, also broken down by baseline benchmark type, in (A) August, (B) September, (C) October and (D) November 2022.

The following table shows the number of homes and projects that have been approved in August, September, October and November 2022, broken down by baseline benchmark type and whether above, at, or below benchmark:

City and Urban

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Approved against Benchmark	11	10	13	11	45
Total No. of Homes Approved against Benchmark	226	226	321	353	1,126
No. of Projects Approved ABOVE Benchmark	7	5	10	7	29
No. of Homes Approved ABOVE Benchmark	156	155	258	94	663
No. of Projects Approved AT Benchmark		1	2	2	5
No. of Homes Approved AT Benchmark		24	53	54	131
No. of Projects Approved BELOW Benchmark	4	4	1	2	11
No. of Homes Approved BELOW Benchmark	70	47	10	205	332

Other Rural

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Approved against Benchmark	1	2	1	3	7
Total No. of Homes Approved against Benchmark	28	76	1	63	168
No. of Projects Approved ABOVE Benchmark			1	3	4
No. of Homes Approved ABOVE Benchmark			1	55	56
No. of Projects Approved AT Benchmark	1	1			2
No. of Homes Approved AT Benchmark	28	20			48
No. of Projects Approved BELOW Benchmark		1		1	2
No. of Homes Approved BELOW Benchmark		56		8	64

West Highland, Island Authorities & Remote/ Rural Argyll

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Approved against Benchmark	1	1	2	1	5
Total No. of Homes Approved against Benchmark	4	4	12	14	34
No. of Projects Approved ABOVE Benchmark	1	1	2	1	5
No. of Homes Approved ABOVE Benchmark	4	4	12	14	34
No. of Projects Approved AT Benchmark					0
No. of Homes Approved AT Benchmark					0
No. of Projects Approved BELOW Benchmark					0
No. of Homes Approved BELOW Benchmark					0

Question reference: S6W-11609

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 October 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its publication, High rise inventory 2021: summary report, of the (a) 38 buildings in which aluminium composite material (ACM) panels were identified and (b) 23 buildings with Category 3 ACM panels, how many are owned by (i) registered social landlords, (ii) private owners or landlords, (iii) multiple private owners or landlords and (iv) a mix of registered social and private owners and landlords.

The High Rise Inventory provides information on the construction and fire safety of high rise domestic buildings. It was completed by Local Authority Building Standards departments for all relevant buildings, with data provided or verified to the best of the respondents’ knowledge at the time of completing the inventory. It should be viewed as a snapshot in time. The summary report was based on information held in the Inventory in February 2020.

On the basis of the information provided all of the 38 buildings, in which aluminium composite material were identified, and the 23 buildings with Category 3 aluminium composite panels are classified as owned by private landlords.

Question reference: S6W-12690

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the scope is of the Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme review; who is delivering the review; which organisations (a) have been and (b) will be consulted; on what date the review was first commissioned; whether it has commissioned new research or modelling to support the review; what the stages of the review are; how many (i) staff and (ii) full-time equivalents are working on the review, and when it expects to implement its findings.

A review of the Home Owners Support Fund (HOSF), of which Mortgage to Shared Equity is part, was commissioned in February 2022.

The review is wide ranging and will consider all aspects of the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) and Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) eligibility criteria including local authority property valuation thresholds and capital and equity limits.The work is being led by two full-time equivalent Scottish Government officials with support from other officials, including analysts, as required.

The main stages of the review include: identification of issues; information gathering and modelling; developing recommendations and implementation. Independent user research has been conducted with a number of key stakeholders, to identify areas of concern and gather information in relation to aspects of the process that are working well. This involved recent applicants to HOSF, registered social landlords and accredited Money Advisers from organisations such as Citizens Advice Bureaux, local authority Debt Advice services and law centres. Further consultation with stakeholders is ongoing and user testing is planned for later stages of the work.

The review will conclude in the spring of next year with implementation of any policy changes to take place thereafter.

Question reference: S6W-12768

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the team producing the housing statistics quarterly update for December 2022 did not have the required capacity and time to process the data on schedule.

As stated in the list of Scottish Government forthcoming official statistics published at Official statistics: forthcoming publications - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , the planned publication month for the next Housing Statistics for Scotland quarterly update was moved from the month of December 2022 to January 2023 due to team capacity and to allow further time to process the data.

The housing statistics team that produces the quarterly publication have been involved in a range of other work over recent weeks, including the Housing and Regeneration Outcomes Framework Indicator Updates published on 22 November 2022, the latest Private Sector Rent Statistics Scotland 2010 to 2022 published on 29 November 2022, as well as providing resource to support work on the emergency legislation Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Scotland Act. This has impacted on the capacity of the team to be able to prepare and publish the housing statistics quarterly update in December, which is planned for release in January 2023.

Question reference: S6W-12629

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 12 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much non-domestic rates income has been forgone in 2022-23 where Small Business Bonus Scheme rates relief has been claimed for self-catering units, broken down by (a) (i) 100%, (ii) 25% and (iii) 0% (where they were not eligible due to having a number of properties with a combined rateable value of £35,000) of income forgone, (b) assessor and (c) local authority area.

The following tables present the estimated value of Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) relief awarded to self-catering units as at 1 July 2022, broken down in Table 1 by local authority, and in Table 2 by assessor, for properties (unit owners cannot be reliably identified from the information held) receiving 100% SBBS, 25% SBBS, and other proportions of SBBS (e.g. when combined with other reliefs), and no SBBS relief. These tables include all self-catering properties in receipt of SBBS relief.

The Scottish Government cannot reliably estimate the cumulative rateable value of each ratepayer’s non-domestic properties and can therefore not state the number of self-catering units with a combined rateable value of £35,000 in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme relief. To note however, ratepayers with a combined rateable value of £35,000 may still be eligible for SBBS relief where the individual property has a rateable value of £18,000 or less. To note as well a property may receive an SBBS award other than 100% or 25% relief, e.g. if awarded in conjunction with another relief. Eligibility for non-domestic rates reliefs, including SBBS, is set out in legislation and it is for local authorities to administer reliefs to eligible properties in accordance with that legislation.

Figures are presented in £thousands, and those relating to more than zero but fewer than five units have been marked [x] to distinguish from actual zero values. The data sources for both tables are the Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 July 2022, and local authority reliefs information as at 1 July 2022. Final outturn data for 2022-23 may vary.

Table 1: Estimated value (£ thousands) of SBBS relief awarded to self-catering properties as at 1 July 2022, by local authority and SBBS percentage

Local authority	100% SBBS (£,000)	25% SBBS (£,000)	Other SBBS awards (£,000)
Aberdeen City	47	0	0
Aberdeenshire	816	8,000	[x]
Angus	265	[x]	0
Argyll & Bute	2,113	32	0
Clackmannanshire	37	0	0
Dumfries & Galloway	1,085	4	0
Dundee City	116	0	0
East Ayrshire	52	0	0
East Dunbartonshire	12	0	0
East Lothian	357	4	0
East Renfrewshire	6	0	0
City of Edinburgh	3,635	79	0
Na h-Eileanan Siar	748	4	0
Falkirk	88	0	0
Fife	878	7	[x]
Glasgow City	293	8	0
Highland	5,860	76	[x]
Inverclyde	13	0	0
Midlothian	69	0	0
Moray	466	13	0
North Ayrshire	592	2	[x]
North Lanarkshire	31	0	0
Orkney Islands	341	[x]	0
Perth & Kinross	1,197	14	[x]
Renfrewshire	37	0	0
Scottish Borders	852	4	0
Shetland Islands	158	[x]	0
South Ayrshire	202	0	0
South Lanarkshire	63	4	0
Stirling	506	12	0
West Dunbartonshire	65	[x]	0
West Lothian	70	0	0
Scotland	21,069	277	4

Table 2: Estimated value (£ thousands) of SBBS relief awarded to self-catering properties as at 1 July 2022, by assessor and SBBS percentage

Assessor	100% SBBS (£,000)	25% SBBS (£,000)	Other SBBS awards (£,000)
Ayrshire	845	2	[x]
Central	631	12	0
Dumfries & Galloway	1,085	4	0
Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute	2,191	34	0
Fife	878	7	[x]
Glasgow	293	8	0
Grampian	1,329	20	[x]
Highland & Western Isles	6,607	80	[x]
Lanarkshire	94	4	0
Lothian	4,131	83	0
Orkney & Shetland	499	1	0
Renfrewshire	56	0	0
Scottish Borders	852	4	0
Tayside	1,578	17	[x]
Scotland	21,069	277	4

Question reference: S6W-12687

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many dwellings have an unoccupied exemption from council tax, broken down by the exemptions provided for by Schedule 1 of the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Scotland Order 1997, as amended.

Chamber and committees