Pam Gosal

24 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to classify housing as a separate National Outcome.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government laid the proposed revised National Outcomes in Parliament for scrutiny on 1 May 2024. These proposals include a new National Outcome for Housing. Parliamentary scrutiny is expected to conclude in late 2024 .

24 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement an SME home builder impact assessment across the policy areas that support all-tenure housing delivery.

Answer · Paul McLennan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28339 on 10 July 2024. 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…

24 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce new funding streams and partnerships to support SMEs to build more homes.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government is engaging with Homes for Scotland and the housebuilding industry to discuss the findings of their recent work on SME housebuilders. Part of this work involves partnership discussions between Homes for Scotland, industry participants …

24 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce planning regulations that would allow local authorities to adopt proportionate practices to ensure that the planning system actively supports the delivery of new homes by SMEs.

Answer · Ivan McKee: There is no current plan to bring forward regulations, however the Scottish Government has established a short life working group to encourage a proportionate approach to assessments required for planning applications. An initial scoping meeting, held on 25 J…

24 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to enhance the viability of sites available to SMEs for housebuilding, in order to help reduce costs and increase the certainty required to deliver more homes.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government’s Chief Planner and I published a letter to stakeholders on 27 June 2024 regarding planning for housing. It provides further clarification on the implementation of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and specifically policy 16 Quality…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide clarity for investors by publishing, by the end of 2024, any proposed exemptions to the rent controls contained in the Housing (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of investment in housing to underpin quality, supply and affordability in the private rented sector, and is very clear that continuing to attract private investment is a priority to maintain the vital supply o…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to (a) review any relevant regulatory timelines for the next five years and (b) publish associated deliverable route maps, in accordance with the principles of its Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, in order to ensure that Scotland is an attractive location for i…

Answer · Paul McLennan: As set out in the Minister for Housing’s statement to Parliament on 20 June, responding to the recently declared housing emergency, the Scottish Government recognise the importance of considering the impact of new regulation on the housing sector. We have al…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the national housing emergency, whether it plans to review the planning and consenting system, in order to increase the scale and pace of development across all tenures.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The planning system in Scotland has undergone significant reform in recent years with the introduction of new legislation, policy and guidance. The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 made changes to development planning and consenting regimes to strengthen decision…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to require all of its directorates to make the delivery of homes of all tenures across Scotland the top national infrastructure priority, in order to increase overall supply and improve affordability.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government published our Infrastructure Investment Plan in 2021 which sets out our national infrastructure priorities for Scotland. The Plan recognises the important role that housing plays in developing resilient and sustainable places, supporti…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that accurate data on households’ needs is shared in order to ensure that offers to homeless households can be made swiftly.

Answer · Paul McLennan: I welcome the work that local authorities already undertake in ensuring the data they share is accurate, allowing offers to homeless households can be made swiftly – but we also recognise that more can be done here to improve the accuracy of data provided. Da…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will maintain funding for Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans until the end of the current parliamentary session, and what clarity it can provide regarding future funding plans for subsequent years.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government provided local authorities with funding of £8 million per annum between 2019-24 to implement Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTPs). RRTPs set out each local authority’s five-year plan to transition to rapid rehousing, including thro…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to create a new homelessness prevention fund that is accessible to local authorities, registered social landlords and the third sector for tenants across tenures.

Answer · Paul McLennan: There are currently no plans to create a new homelessness prevention fund. In line with our commitment to introduce homelessness prevention duties, we agree with the principle that investment should be prioritised for prevention work, to address homelessness …

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is offering to social landlords to maintain their wider remit investment in homelessness prevention services.

Answer · Paul McLennan: We know that registered social landlords are uniquely placed as housing providers to identify and assist people at risk of homelessness, building on existing housing management practice and the delivery of housing support. There is already good practice happ…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to target additional revenue funding specifically at any local authorities identified as experiencing, or being at heightened risk of, systemic failure in their homelessness services.

Answer · Paul McLennan: This year's budget is the most challenging since devolution. For that reason, our preference is for any available money to be targeted at areas which are experiencing specific pressures, particularly where there is sustained use of temporary accommodation. T…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) can take and (b) is taking to address any lengthy delays by energy suppliers in replacing or updating meters, in order to allow void social homes to be brought back into use.

Answer · Paul McLennan: I recently met with Housing Convenors across Scotland to discuss the challenges that have contributed to longer turnaround times for empty council properties, delays in reconnecting energy supplies was one of the key issues raised. Although energy is a reser…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish national guidance on how to convert temporary accommodation into permanent homes.

Answer · Paul McLennan: In its response to the Temporary Accommodation Task and Finish Group recommendations, the Scottish Government committed to working with COSLA, ALACHO and the SFHA to develop national guidance to help maximise the impact of effective stock management and to su…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish monthly delivery updates on (a) how many homes, (b) what type of homes and (c) the location of the homes that have been delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government continues to assess how we best share our data with partners. The Scottish Government publishes quarterly housing statistics on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme covering approvals, starts and completions by tenure and build form.

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prioritise the (a) building and (b) buying of larger properties to provide suitable homes for households with children that have been living long term in temporary accommodation.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government wants to see a reduction in the number of households with children in temporary accommodation and works closely with local authority partners to ensure their Strategic Housing Investment Plans reflect their identified priorities includ…

13 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 to make explicit the obligations of public authorities to act should any individual experiencing forced marriage contact them for support.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government has no current plans to amend the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011. Forced Marriage is illegal in Scotland and there are protections under civil and criminal law for any victims or potential victim…

13 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 to include alleged perpetrators who are outside of the immediate family.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Any form of violence against women and girls is abhorrent and we recognise that minority ethnic women can experience culturally specific forms of abuse and violence, including from perpetrators outside of their immediate family. We have established a network…

13 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise public awareness about the issue of forced marriage.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: We are currently refreshing the Scottish Government’s Forced Marriage Statutory Guidance. To support the launch of the refreshed guidance, we are producing resources for professionals and the general public to raise awareness about forced marriage. We are wor…

11 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to organisations and charities that support people with epilepsy, in each financial year since 2019-20.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Since 2019-2020, the Scottish Government has given the following funding per financial year to support organisations and charities that support people with epilepsy. Financial Year Total 2019-2020 £100,000 2020-2021 £225,574 2021-2022 £64,172.83 2022…

11 Jun 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle poverty in black and minority ethnic households.

5 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of computer science teachers in secondary schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: While local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of teachers, the Scottish Government is committed to maximising the number of jobs available in a range of subjects, including computing science. The Teaching Bursary Scheme offers a …

5 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students currently enrolled in higher education institutions identify as homeless.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Data on Students enrolled in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The data collection does not gather information on students that identify as homeless.

5 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to bring forward an updated homelessness action plan.

Answer · Paul McLennan: There are no plans to develop an updated homelessness action plan. There is widespread support for Scotland’s long term plan for housing set out in Housing to 2040, and collective agreement that the Ending Homelessness Together action plan is the right long t…

29 May 2024 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on how it is widening access to its educational services.

28 May 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent children and young people from overdosing on over-the-counter medication.

21 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of stalking were recorded in 2023-24, and how many of those cases have been prosecuted to date.

Answer · Angela Constance: Instances of stalking in 2023-24 will be published within the Recorded Crime in Scotland 2023-24 accredited official statistics on 25 June 2024. The most recently published data shows there were 872 crimes of stalking recorded by police over the year ending D…

21 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27377 by Dorothy Bain on 21 May 2024, when it anticipates that it will complete its work on ensuring that Standard Prosecution Reports fully address the victim’s views on court proceedings, bail conditions and non-harassment orders, with reasons for…

Answer · Ruth Charteris: COPFS has commenced work in relation to the areas identified in the His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS) report and is identifying the necessary work that will require to be undertaken and the resource requirements needed to implement…