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In response to Alison Johnstone MSP’s previous question (S5O-03432 on 26 June 2019), I announced my intention to carry out an internal review of our empty home policy to ensure we maximise the numbers brought back into use. We consider the work of the Partnership to be a strong success, but it is right that we review progress to date.

In doing so, I will carefully consider the evidence gathered by the Local Government and Communities Committee during their Empty Homes Inquiry and any recommendations they wish to make. The review will include the work of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, funds that support empty homes work, the use of the council tax levy for long-term empty homes, data collection, and work undertaken internationally to bring homes back into use. I therefore have no immediate plans to extend the work of the Partnership whilst the review is taking place.

The answer to oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the Official Report can be viewed at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12208&i=110280

We want everyone to have a safe, warm place to live and we are committed to ending homelessness in Scotland.

The joint Scottish Government and COSLA Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, published in November 2018, sets out the steps we are taking to make sure that anyone facing homelessness is supported into a permanent, settled home that meets their needs as quickly as possible.

We have committed £32.5 million from our £50 million Ending Homelessness Together Fund and the health portfolio to support local authorities with the transition to a Rapid Rehousing model including Housing First for those with complex needs.

We will continue to work in partnership with all Local Authorities to ensure that we achieve our shared ambition to end homelessness and rough sleeping in Scotland.

We are monitoring the implementation of this legislation and while the legislation was passed in 2014 most of its provisions did not come into effect until 2016. This was to align implementation of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 with the last changes to the European public procurement rules. While the full impact and the benefits of the recent changes in public procurement are yet to be realised there are signs that these changes are positively influencing practice and securing wider benefits. The first annual report on procurement activity in Scotland was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 4 April 2019 and a copy can be found in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (SPICe). The report can also be accessed on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/annual-report-procurement-activity-scotland-2019/ . We have committed to a post implementation review of the legislation and this is set out in the final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) that accompanied the legislation. A copy of the BRIA can be found at: https://www2.gov.scot/Resource/0043/00435515.pdf .

Scotland already has some of the strongest rights in the world for people experiencing homelessness with everybody found to be homeless legally entitled to housing.

It is the role of the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) to monitor, assess, report on the performance of the housing activities of local authorities and registered social landlords, including their compliance with homelessness legislation. The SHR also have a range of intervention powers that they can exercise, where it is appropriate to do so.

In addition, the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning has met with local authorities where there have been breaches of their legislative duty, to explore the issues faced and identify solutions.

The Scottish Government will work closely with NHS National Services Scotland to establish an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence for reducing risks in the healthcare built environment. The detailed workings of this new body, announced on 3rd September 2019 have not been agreed yet, but I will provide further information once it has been established.

Since 2018, more than £2 million has been provided to NHS Boards and third sector partners for breastfeeding support in order to improve the quality of breastfeeding support and the breastfeeding experiences of mothers. This includes training for peer support programmes and the introduction of the Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland scheme.

In addition our Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework (2011) outlines the measures that should be taken by all organisations working with families to ensure that every parent is supported to give their baby the very best nutritional start in life and asks NHS Boards to report annually on progress. Since 2011, the Scottish Government has invested more than £18.1m (£2.3m per year) directly to NHS Boards for implementation of the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework, of which breastfeeding support is a key component.

The Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act 2005 makes it illegal to stop a mother feeding her child, under the age of 2 years, either by breastfeeding or bottle feeding, in premises where the public has general access (including licensed premises if the child is lawfully permitted to be there).

The Equality Act 2010 gives the same protection for breastfeeding children over the age of 2 years, supporting families for the duration of feeding.

Given the pressure for space in the legislative programme, and the potential implications of Brexit on parliamentary time, we do not expect to be in a position to legislate for compulsory sales orders (CSO) in this parliamentary session. Nevertheless we remain committed to introducing a new CSO power for local authorities. We will therefore now bring forward a package of proposals that addresses how authorities can assemble land, tackle problem properties and capture land value uplifts ready for the next administration to consider legislating on these matters.

Local authorities already possess Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers and a number of authorities have utilised these in recent years to take possession of empty and derelict residential properties in order to bring them back into use or to replace them with modern affordable housing. We are committed to supporting authorities to utilise their existing CPO powers and in the past 2 years have:

• published a new suite of guidance that takes authorities through the CPO process from beginning to end;
• met with around 26 local authorities to discuss the potential use of CPO;
• published a series of case studies on the use of CPO – including for empty homes;
• held a training event with the Empty Homes Partnership on the use of CPO for empty homes; and
• hosted three training and good practice sharing events for local authority staff on the use of CPO more generally, which were attended by over 200 delegates.

In addition, we have empowered communities to address the problems caused by vacant properties. The Part 3A Community Right-to-Buy allows communities to buy buildings and land that are abandoned, neglected or detrimental. This is a compulsory purchase power, and if Ministers approve a community’s application, the owner must sell, whether or not they planned to do so.

Eligibility for funded early learning and childcare starts from the term after a child’s third birthday, although local authorities also have the flexibility to provide funded early learning and childcare before the statutory eligibility date, if they choose to do so. The eligibility criteria prioritises those children who stand to benefit the most in the first instance, through statutory eligibility for some 2 year olds.

The eligibility criteria also means that children born in January or February are able to access an additional year of funded early learning and childcare when they are four, if the parent choses to defer the child’s entry to primary school.