- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 3 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what the scope of its proposed feasibility study on rent data collection will include.
Answer
The Scottish Government has published proposals on the collection of additional rent data on pages 76 to 78 of the Draft Rented Sector Strategy Consultation paper titled ‘ A New Deal for Tenants ’.
The scope of the feasibility will cover all the aspects raised on pages 76 to 78 and will also take into consideration any additional issues raised through Consultation responses and during discussions with key delivery partners.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06970 by Shona Robison on 15 March 2022, whether it will clarify what it means by “the regulations are not retrospective", in light of recent reports that the rules will apply to new builds and the recladding of existing ones.
Answer
Building regulations do not apply retrospectively to existing buildings. The regulations apply to new buildings, conversions and to existing buildings where building work is proposed. From 1 June 2022, if remediation is required following a Single Building Assessment, a building warrant will be required for replacement cladding systems (other than minor repairs) and require to meet the amended regulations.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that work on the Housing to 2040 Improving the quality of all homes milestones for 2021-22 has not begun and, if this is the case, (a) what the reasons are for this and (b) when work will (i) begin and (ii) be completed on the actions to (A) consult on new housing standards, (B) review the housing for varying needs design guide, (C) review the adaptations system and (D) develop joint accountability and outcomes framework.
Answer
Work to progress early milestones set out within Housing to 2040 for improving the quality of all homes is currently underway. We intend to consult on proposals for a new Housing Standard later this year, and plan to launch a formal consultation on proposals for updating the Housing for Varying Needs design guide later this spring. Work on the review of the adaptations system is also underway and is expected to conclude later in the current financial year, with work to develop a joint housing, health and social care accountability and outcomes framework scheduled to start later this year.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 14 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many notifications the Building Standards Division has received from verifiers of building warrant applications, citing BS 8414 as a route to compliance, since the April 2021 update of the Building Standards Technical Handbooks, broken down by (a) type of building and (b) local authority.
Answer
No notifications have been received by the Building Standards Division since the April 2021 update to the Building Standards Technical Handbooks.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when section 99 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 will come into force.
Answer
We will legislate to bring into force the remaining outstanding tenant farming provisions, contained within Part 10 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, including section 99 – removing the requirement for tenant farmers to register an interest in the pre-emptive right to buy, during this Parliament.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 4 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many evictions from the private rented sector the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) has granted since 1 December 2021.
Answer
This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 31 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to strengthen the landlord registration scheme in order to identify the beneficiaries of private rented sector properties, including owners who are registered in tax havens.
Answer
There are currently no plans to use landlord registration to identify beneficiaries of private rented sector properties. The purpose of landlord registration is to ensure the owner is a fit and proper person to let houses and that the properties meet certain safety requirements. We are, however, looking to review this system and identify opportunities for strengthening the registration regime, and would encourage respondents to our New Deal for Tenants consultation to highlight examples of how that strengthening might be done.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it will record and publish progress towards its target for the rate of zero carbon heating system installations in new and existing homes and buildings to double every year from the current baseline to at least 64,000 installations in 2025.
Answer
The Scottish Government gathers data on deployment of zero emissions heat through a variety of channels, including the Scottish House Condition Survey, the Renewable Heat Database, and Energy Performance Certificates, as well as through our own delivery programmes. We already report annual progress through the Climate Change Plan monitoring and evaluation process, and will publish a bespoke Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation framework later this year with details as to how we will consolidate and expand on existing reporting.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06407 by Keith Brown on 10 March 2022, whether it will review the transparency and reporting duties on the tribunal.
Answer
The legislative framework relating to the reporting duties of the Scottish Tribunals in general, and on the Housing and Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland in particular, are outlined in the previous answer to question S6W-06407.
The Scottish Government is content with the legislative framework and relevant reporting duties on the Scottish Tribunals and has no plans to review these at present.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 25 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will establish an all-tenure target of at least 25,000 homes per year in order to meet current levels of need and demand.
Answer
Local authorities are responsible for assessing and evidencing housing need and demand, and setting out through local housing strategies and local development plans the housing requirements for their area. The Scottish Government continues to collaborate with a wide range of housing delivery partners to ensure the delivery of more high quality homes to meet the need of communities across Scotland.