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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-08806

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08560 by Shona Robison on 25 May 2022, what its strategy is for managing exits (a) holistically and (b) on a case-by-case basis.

The private rented sector has seen a steady increase in size over the last 20 years, more than doubling in size, with some annual fluctuations. We will continue to monitor the whole housing market using the Landlord Register along with other statistical information on a regular basis and will consider further should significant changes happen.

Individual landlords will enter and leave the sector depending on their personal and business circumstances and through the Private Residential (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016, strong protections and processes are in place for tenants in that situation.

Question reference: S6W-08805

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08560 by Shona Robison on 25 May 2022, how rapidly the register and other official statistics provides this data.

The Scottish Landlord Registration provides data on the number of private landlord registrations, for example in relation to the number of new applications, renewals made and the number of properties these relate to, on a monthly basis.

Official statistics on the sector from the Scottish Household Survey, are released as soon as they are available. In recent years, national results from the Scottish Household Survey have been published around September following the survey year, although Covid-19 has impacted on this survey, with 2020 results published in January 2022 and 2021 results scheduled for publication in December 2022.

Question reference: S6W-08749

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the Home Owners' Support Fund rules in light of rising interest rates and the cost of living crisis.

At present, there is no marked increase in applications to the Home Owners Support Fund (HOSF). However, to ensure the scheme has maximum impact as part of our response to the current economic situation, I can confirm my officials are currently reviewing HOSF to consider what more can be done through the scheme to support homeowners struggling with mortgage repayments as a result of rising interest rates and the cost of living crisis.

Question reference: S6W-08807

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08560 by Shona Robison on 25 May 2022, what information the register records regarding the subsequent (a) destination of any tenants leaving properties that have exited, including the homeless presentations made to their local authority, and (b) use of those properties, including use as (i) PRS stock, (ii) owner-occupied homes, (iii) second homes, (iv) empty homes and (v) short-term lets.

The propose of the Landlord Register is to enable Local Authorities to complete checks on private landlords. Most private landlords are required to apply for registration with their local authority under Part 8 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 . The applicant must provide information to help local authorities assess whether they are a fit and proper person to let houses.

The fit and proper person test is intended to provide a level of assurance that the owner of a let property is a suitable person to let privately rented property. It is a standard that all private landlords are required to uphold throughout the time that they operate as a private landlord.

The Landlord Registration System is an administrative system used primarily to manage these registration of landlords and rental properties by Local Authorities. It does not collect data regarding landlords and properties no longer registered. It does not include data on individual tenants, either those in a property or their destination on exit.

Question reference: S6O-01243

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the support capacity of Home Energy Scotland was before this was increased by 12,000 households.

Question reference: S6O-01200

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its cross-government co-ordination on islands policies, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with the social justice secretary regarding the impact on rural and island communities of second home ownership.

Question reference: S6W-08491

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken a feasibility assessment and consultation to consider a new system for the registration of boiler sales and installations, for the purposes of managing the phase-out of fossil fuel boilers. R

As set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government has committed to phasing out the need to install new or replacement boilers in off-gas grid homes from 2025 and in on-gas grid areas from 2030.

The Scottish Government continues to consider a range of possible means to implement this commitment – including forming views on the feasibility of creating new systems to register the sale and/or installation of boilers.

We will consult on a proposed approach in the coming year.

Question reference: S6O-01176

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Central Scotland have been helped onto the property ladder through government schemes since 2016-17.

Question reference: S6W-08562

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the Affordable Housing Supply Programme process and procedures facilitate the purchase of properties exiting the private rented sector in order to maintain the homes of tenants affected, in light of the publication, RentBetter: Research on the impact of changes to the private rented sector tenancy regime in Scotland: Wave 2 Final Report, which states that half of landlords intend to leave the market.

The Scottish Government already invests significantly through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme and works with private sector funders and suppliers to maximise the delivery of the right homes in the right places. While the Affordable Housing Supply Programme process and procedures guidance does not specifically facilitate the purchase of properties exiting the private rented sector in order to maintain the homes of tenants affected, we were keen to gather views on what more can be done to ensure that the supply of rented homes continues to play a key role in addressing the affordability issues we are facing in Scotland as part of the consultation on the draft rented sector strategy – A New Deal for Tenants. We have specifically sought views on whether there are opportunities to engage with owners/ landlords to allow first refusal to those delivering the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. The consultation closed on 22 April and we will consider the responses in order to determine whether any changes are required to current guidance.

Question reference: S6W-08560

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors (a) landlord and (b) stock exits from the private rental sector, and what its policy is for managing these exits.

The Scottish Landlord Register provides data on the number of private landlord registrations, for example in relation to the number of new applications, renewals made and the number of properties these relate to.

The Scottish Government uses this information to monitor the number of registered landlords operating and properties in Scotland, and to appropriately distribute the applications fees to the relevant local authorities.

The information is also used more broadly to help with gaining insights and understanding of the Private Rented Sector and its regulation in Scotland, alongside other official statistics on the sector such as results from the Scottish Household Survey, which can help to monitor trends over time in overall stock levels of private rented sector households.