Parliamentary questions
Mary Mulligan
707 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many householders have qualified for enhanced measures since the launch of the Energy Assistance Package.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25095 on 26 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/B…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many householders have been offered a free package of insulation measures since the launch of the Energy Assistance Package.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25095 on 26 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/B…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many householders have been offered benefit and tax credit checks and advice on low-cost energy tariffs since the launch of the Energy Assistance Package.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25095 on 26 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <u><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many householders have phoned the Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centre regarding the Energy Assistance Package.
Answer · Alex Neil: Statistics on the Energy Assistance Package (EAP) are available at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland/Energy-Assistance-Package/Programme-Statistics">http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland/Energy-Assistance…
17 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have applied to the mortgage to rent scheme in each month since May 2007.
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of households who applied to the mortgage to rent scheme in each month since May 2007 is contained in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td valign=top > <p align=center > </p> …
17 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have applied to the mortgage to shared equity scheme in each month since its inception.
Answer · Alex Neil: Applications for assistance are made to the Home Owners'' Support Fund, and it is only after initial checks have been carried out that it is determined whether an applicant will be considered for the mortgage to rent (MTR) or mortgage to shared equity scheme …
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes for low cost ownership have been completed since devolution, broken down by (a) financial and (b) calendar year.
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of low cost home ownership homes funded by the Affordable Housing Investment Programme that have been completed since devolution broken down by financial year is as follows:</p> <p >Low Cost Home Ownership Completions 1999-2009</p> <table border…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total number was of completions of homes recorded as affordable housing that were homes (a) for low cost ownership and (b) for rent in 2008-09.
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of completions recorded in the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2008-09 was 6,260. The split of this by low cost home ownership and rent is as follows:</p> <p >Completions 2008-09</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many socially rented homes have been completed since 1996, broken down by (a) financial and (b) calendar year.
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of socially rented homes funded by the Affordable Housing Investment Programme that have been completed since 1996 broken down by financial year is as follows:</p> <p >Social Rent Completions 1996-2009</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpaddi…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines homes for low cost ownership.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government defines homes for low cost ownership as the five grants it makes available under the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT). This initiative brings together the Scottish Government''s range of schemes to support first-time bu…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it defines as social housing and whether this differs from its definition of affordable housing or socially rented housing.
Answer · Alex Neil: Social housing is a widely recognised shorthand for the housing provided for rent by registered social landlords and local authorities.</p> <p >Affordable housing is a wider term which covers these properties and other initiatives, such as mid-market rent, s…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have benefited from the mortgage to shared equity scheme since its inception.
Answer · Alex Neil: Since the inception of the mortgage to shared equity scheme, five households have been eligible for consideration for the scheme. Two have replied to say they wished to be considered for mortgage to rent instead and the remaining three have still to reply.</p…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households benefited from the mortgage to rent scheme between May 2006 and May 2009, broken down by month.
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of households that benefited from the mortgage to rent scheme between May 2006 and May 2009 broken down by month are contained in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td valign=top > <p > </p> …
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the appointment of a new chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The appointment of Mr David Garbutt as Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service was announced on Tuesday 9 June 2009. The associated news release can be found at: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/06/08170034">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/N…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any assessment has been made of the impact of increased demands on health services due to the increase in repossession actions.
Answer · Alex Neil: The lack of separate Scottish data on repossessions, highlighted in the Repossessions Group''s report, makes it difficult to assess the impact of repossessions on health and other services. We have pressed the Financial Services Authority to require lenders t…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce guidance for law centres, money advice agencies and other support organisations with regard to accessing the Home Owners’ Support Fund.
Answer · Alex Neil: Guidance for independent money advisers, registered social landlords, local authorities and others has already been produced and was published on the Scottish Government''s website on 16 March 2009 and is available using the following link:</p> <p ><a href="…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to promote the Home Owners’ Support Fund.
Answer · Alex Neil: When the revised mortgage to rent scheme and new mortgage to shared equity schemes were launched on 16 March, the following promotional action was taken:</p> <p >We updated the Scottish Government website to contain full details about the schemes including;…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase access to the Home Owners’ Support Fund.
Answer · Alex Neil: In order to increase access to the Home Owners'' Support Fund, we are now accepting applications earlier than under the previous rules. Fully completed applications will now be accepted where the applicant has been unable to make full payments on a secured lo…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many repossession actions (a) were taken forward in 2008 and (b) have been taken forward in 2009, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Statistics about court actions for repossession at a local authority level are based on the location of the court at which the case was registered. Whilst local authority and court areas are not coterminous, this provides the best available approximation to l…
12 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will take forward the recommendations of the Repossessions Working Group.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing set out details of how we will take forward the Repossessions Group''s recommendations in her statement to Parliament on 17 June 2009. Work is underway to introduce legislation in the autumn, and action is also …
10 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by each local authority on preventing homelessness in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09.
Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally. Prevention of homelessness involves a variety of local approaches and funding sources by local authorities reflecting the complexity of the issue. In recognition of this, the Scottish Government published prevention of …
10 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that almost 25% of the 6,221 houses built under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2008-09 were built for sale.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2008-09 delivered 6,506 new and improved home approvals and 6,260 new and improved home completions. Of the approvals 23% were for low-cost home ownership and of the completions 24% were for low-cost home ownersh…
8 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role single outcome agreements have in ensuring that local authorities meet their statutory duty of furthering the conservation of biodiversity under section 1 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and what measures it uses to assess whether and how that duty is met.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Local authorities must determine for themselves how best to incorporate the biodiversity duty in their programmes and actions. There are no formal centralised monitoring arrangements. Although there is no specific obligation for local authorities to include m…
1 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it shares the concerns of the Chartered Institute for Housing Scotland that, despite accelerated funding, 175 fewer affordable homes were started in the first quarter of 2009 than the same period in 2008.
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of new social homes started in quarter 1 2008 was the highest since comparable records began in 1992. While the number of social housing starts in quarter 1 2009 was 175 lower than this figure, this was still the second highest number of social hou…
1 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it shares the concerns of the Chartered Institute for Housing Scotland that, despite accelerated funding, 466 fewer affordable homes were started in the final quarter of 2008 than in the same period in 2007.
Answer · Alex Neil: While the number of houses started in the final two quarters of 2008 was 466 fewer than the same period in 2007, the number of social houses started in 2008-09 as a whole was the second highest since 1994-95 despite the challenging economic background. The hi…
1 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many council houses have been completed since May 2007, broken down by local authority and showing the political leadership of each authority.
Answer · Alex Neil: Information regarding local authority completions is only available on a quarterly basis. The following table shows the breakdown of house building completions by local authority area since April 2007. The political leadership of each authority can be found o…
1 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it can take credit for the council housing built in 2007-08 that was budgeted for by the previous administration.
Answer · Alex Neil: The new council housing completions in 2007-08 were funded from local authorities'' own resources. Councils who have recently built new housing such as Midlothian Council, West Lothian Council, Aberdeen City Council, East Lothian Council and Orkney Islands Co…
1 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that affordable housing provided through housing associations is of equal value to that provided through local authorities.
Answer · Alex Neil: Attempting to draw a distinction of the value of housing based on whether it has been provided by Registered Social Landlords (RSL) or a local authority serves no purpose. What is important is that there is sufficient affordable housing provided to meet the n…
1 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its news release of 26 May 2009 on affordable homes, whether it considers that the claim that six council homes were built under the previous administration is accurate given that the current administration commenced part way through the second quarter of 2007.
Answer · Alex Neil: As stated in the answer to the question S3W-24500 on 9 June 2009, the period of the previous administration was defined as spanning financial years 2003-04 to 2006-07. According to official statistics the number of local authority houses completed during this…
1 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its news release of 26 May 2009 on affordable homes, how it defines the period of the previous administration.
Answer · Alex Neil: Housing statistics are only collected on a quarterly basis and it is therefore not possible to produce figures for individual months. Accordingly, the period of the previous administration is defined as running from April 2003 to the end of March 2007, equati…