Parliamentary questions
Mark Griffin
2,186 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12689 by John Swinney on 8 December 2022, how many new repossessed dwellings have received an exemption from council tax in each month of 2022, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.
8 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many SME housebuilders have been engaged in the delivery of the affordable housing supply programme in each year since 2016-17, and how it analyses the involvement of SME housebuilders in the supply chain on the basis of (a) geography, (b) project type and size and (c) grant recipien…
Answer · Shona Robison: The recording of contractors is not a mandatory field in our applications system and therefore our records are not complete. The Scottish Government Affordable Housing Supply Programme does not formally analyse whether contractors are SME housebuilders or the…
8 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10597 by Shona Robison 20 September 2022, what information it does record about the house builder or construction company once a project is tendered, and how it engages with those SME house builders.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not mandate the recording of contractor or housebuilder details within a tender application. If supplied, the information we collect relates solely to the name of the contractor. The Scottish Government has no direct engagement wi…
8 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10596 by Shona Robison 20 September 2022, how this information compares with insolvencies since 2007-08.
Answer · Shona Robison: We do not keep historic records of insolvencies which have impacted on the affordable housing supply programme.
7 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) remit, (b) lifespan, (c) terms of reference and (d) work programme is for the joint working group on local government finance; how frequently it will meet, and whether (i) agendas, (ii) minutes and (iii) papers will be published.
Answer · Tom Arthur: As set out in the answer to S6W-12943 on 20 December 2022, the Joint Working Group, which includes COSLA and the Scottish Green Party commenced it work, initially focussing on targeted changes to Council Tax to reflect the current circumstances created by the…
6 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of current rates of inflation for the construction industry on the non-domestic rates revaluation of public sector properties, based on rebuild costs.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The valuation of non-domestic properties is a matter for Scottish assessors who are independent of central and local government. The tone date for the 2023 revaluation was 1 April 2022, therefore values for the revaluation will be based on the economic circum…
5 Dec 2022 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that local government directors of finance have written to the finance secretary regarding an unprecedented £1 billion budget gap, and of COSLA stating that the current spending plans will lead to job losses.
1 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on administering the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund.
Answer · Shona Robison: The total spend on administration of the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund is £433,886.88. Admin costs 2020-21 = £240,217.20 inclusive of VAT Admin costs 2021-22 = £162,210.30 inclusive of VAT Admin costs 2022-23 (until October 2022) = £31,459.38 inclusive of VAT …
1 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what value of Tenant Hardship Loan Fund loans have (i) been (A) repaid and (B) written off and (ii) yet to be repaid and remain outstanding.
Answer · Shona Robison: There have been 263 Tenant Hardship Loan Fund awards, with a total value of £733,894. Currently none have been repaid in full, none have been written off and the balance remaining is £663,965 as of November 2022.
29 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the scoping work to assess future housing skills needs and associated provision, that was due to commence in July 2022, has been completed.
Answer · Shona Robison: Initial scoping work is being undertaken, and has not yet been completed. This work will be included in the broader considerations of the Housing to 2040 strategic board.
29 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the team producing the housing statistics quarterly update for December 2022 did not have the required capacity and time to process the data on schedule.
Answer · Shona Robison: As stated in the list of Scottish Government forthcoming official statistics published at Official statistics: forthcoming publications - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , the planned publication month for the next Housing Statistics for Scotland quarterly update w…
29 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10464 by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022, how many proposed (a) homes and (b) projects included in affordable housing supply programme grant applications that it has agreed to have been (i) below and (ii) above benchmark, also broken down by base…
Answer · Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of homes and projects that have been approved in August, September, October and November 2022, broken down by baseline benchmark type and whether above, at, or below benchmark: City and Urban Project/ Home details Augus…
29 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10463 by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022, how many proposed (a) homes and (b) projects included in affordable housing supply programme grant applications that it has received have been (i) below and (ii) above benchmark, also broken down by basel…
Answer · Shona Robison: The following table shows number of homes and projects that have been submitted for approval in August, September, October and November 2022, broken down by baseline benchmark type and whether above, at, or below benchmark. To note that the table includes som…
28 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the scope is of the Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme review; who is delivering the review; which organisations (a) have been and (b) will be consulted; on what date the review was first commissioned; whether it has commissioned new research or modelling to support the review; what t…
Answer · Shona Robison: A review of the Home Owners Support Fund (HOSF), of which Mortgage to Shared Equity is part, was commissioned in February 2022. The review is wide ranging and will consider all aspects of the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) and Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) eligi…
28 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many repossessed dwellings have received an exemption from council tax in each month since May 2016.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is available as a snapshot at September each year as detailed in the following table. Sept 2016 Sept 2017 Sept 2018 Sept 2019 Sept 2020 Sept 2021 Sept 2022 495 430 384 433 245 160 295
28 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) repossessed and (b) empty dwellings have an unoccupied exemption from council tax, and how many have had that exemption for (i) six months or more, (ii) 12 months or more and (iii) two years or more.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.
28 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many dwellings have an unoccupied exemption from council tax, broken down by the exemptions provided for by Schedule 1 of the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Scotland Order 1997, as amended.
Answer · John Swinney: 47,156 dwellings had an unoccupied exemption based on a snapshot as at September 2022. Further breakdowns are not held centrally.
24 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many civil penalties have been issued for failure to comply with the Council Tax (Dwellings and Part Residential Subjects) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 since the regulations came into force, broken down by (a) assessor and (b) local authority area.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Council Tax (Dwellings and Part Residential Subjects) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 introduced a 70-day per financial year letting requirement for premises to be classed as self-catering holiday accommodation, in addition to the previous requireme…
24 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties have been (a) entered on and (b) deleted from the valuation roll in accordance with the Council Tax (Dwellings and Part Residential Subjects) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 since the regulations came into force, broken down by (i) assessor and (ii) local author…
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not hold information regarding the reason(s) for the addition of a property to, or removal from, the Valuation Roll. The valuation of all non-domestic properties is a matter for the Scottish Assessors, who are independent of centr…
24 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many assessments for the continuation of properties on the valuation roll in accordance with the Council Tax (Dwellings and Part Residential Subjects) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 have taken place since the regulations came into force, broken down by (a) assessor and (b) loc…
Answer · Tom Arthur: The valuation of non-domestic premises is a matter for the Scottish assessors who are independent of central and local government. The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many assessments have taken place in relation to the requirements for s…
24 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many self-catering units have been registered on the non-domestic rates roll on 30 September in each of the last six years, broken down by (a) assessor and (b) local authority area.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The following tables present the number of self-catering units registered on the Valuation Roll on 1 October 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, broken down in Table 1 by local authority, and in Table 2 by assessor. To note, self-catering premises require…
24 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many self-catering (a) units on the non-domestic rates roll and (b) unit owners received Small Business Bonus Scheme rates relief in 2022-23 at (i) 100%, (ii) 25% and (iii) 0% (where they were not eligible due to having a number of properties with a combined rateable value of £35,000…
Answer · Tom Arthur: The following tables present the estimated number of self-cateirng properties receiving Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) relief as at 1 July 2022, broken down in Table 1 by local authority, and in Table 2 by assessor, for properties (unit owners cannot be r…
24 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much non-domestic rates income has been forgone in 2022-23 where Small Business Bonus Scheme rates relief has been claimed for self-catering units, broken down by (a) (i) 100%, (ii) 25% and (iii) 0% (where they were not eligible due to having a number of properties with a combined ra…
Answer · Tom Arthur: The following tables present the estimated value of Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) relief awarded to self-catering units as at 1 July 2022, broken down in Table 1 by local authority, and in Table 2 by assessor, for properties (unit owners cannot be reliab…
18 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information is has on how many people are in receipt of (a) Adult Disability Payment or (b) Personal Independence Payments in Scotland as a result of COVID-19 or Long COVID.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Due to Adult Disability Payment being in the early stages of delivery, we have not commenced publication of statistics relating to clients’ specific disabilities or conditions. This information will be included in future statistical publications. As of July …
15 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in which year each building in the high rise inventory was (a) constructed or (b) upgraded with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM), also broken down by ACM category.
Answer · Shona Robison: (a) A breakdown of buildings in the high rise inventory by decade of construction: Not known 7 1950 24 1960 351 1970 138 1980 9 1990 8 2000 206 2010 35 2020 1 (b) This data is not held centrally. As part of the cladding remediation programm…
14 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many proposals for projects to make use of the £50 million fund for bringing homes back into use it has received; for how long the fund will remain open for applications, and from which local authorities it has received proposals.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government £50m Ukraine Longer Term Resettlement Fund was launched on 22 September 2022, and to date has received 21 enquiries from a mix of Council's and Registered Social Landlords. In terms of full applications submitted, four proposals have n…
8 Nov 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the processing of appeals for the 2022 National Qualifications exams.
2 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many homebuyers have tranched up their equity stakes to date for properties in which it still holds an equity stake, broken down by scheme.
Answer · Shona Robison: Providing the information requested prior to April 2017 could only be answered at disproportionate cost. Following a change to the way we record shared equity sales from 2017-18 we are able to provide the information requested. Since 2017-18 there have been …
2 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the value was of its homebuyer support investments at the point of transaction for those investments that it still holds an equity stake, and what the current estimated value is of those equity stakes, broken down by scheme.
Answer · Shona Robison: The value of the shared equity investment stakes is revalued annually using the Nationwide House Price index for Scotland. The following table shows the original capital invested together with the current valuation. Open Market Shared Equity/New Supply Shar…
2 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the £6 million of reduced Buildings Standards expenditure identified on page 23 of the Emergency Budget Review was originally assigned to.
Answer · Shona Robison: The budget allocated to the Cladding Remediation programme is £400 million in total, this includes the £6 million identified in the Emergency Budget Review. The focus of funding in this financial year has been on expanding our pilot towards 100 surveys, surve…