Mark Griffin

2 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07307 by Shona Robison on 25 March 2022, and in light of its tender, OCT462463, for the audit anticipating that the research will extend over six months, what the (a) scope and (b) timeline is of the empty homes audit.

Answer · Shona Robison: The full scope is available to interested suppliers via the Public Contracts Scotland website and includes: 1) an overview of Scotland’s empty homes; 2) the key barriers and opportunities for bringing homes back into use; 3) an assessment of the effectiveness…

1 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10678 by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022, whether the meeting with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities colleagues has now taken place, and what further funding has been secured to assess and remediate buildings in Scotland af…

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government officials have fortnightly meetings with counterparts in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. We have committed all the consequentials so far, £400 million, to the programme of work.

1 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00933 by Shona Robison on 1 November 2022, what the status is of the gateway recommendations in Cladding Remediation Gateway Review 0 (Strategic Assessment) October 2021 and July 2022.

Answer · Shona Robison: Of the 15 recommendations laid out in Cladding Remediation Gateway Reviews 0 (Strategic Assessment) October 2021 and July 2022, the October recommendations largely overwrite those from the July review. Of the eight recommendations from the July 2022 Gateway R…

1 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how long it estimates the assessment of the 780 identified high-rise buildings in Scotland will take, and how this compares with the information released under Freedom of Information request 202200321870.

Answer · Shona Robison: Not all 780 buildings on the high rise inventory will require assessment. Single building assessments are demand led and available on request for homeowners or their representatives should they meet the qualifying criteria.

1 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what correspondence it has had with all identified privately owned high-rise buildings in regard to the Single Building Assessment programme ahead of their forthcoming invitation onto the survey programme in 2023, and how many buildings it has been in contact with.

Answer · Shona Robison: We have been in contact with the representatives of over 50 buildings about the Single Building Assessment programme, with plans to expand this throughout 2023.

31 Oct 2022 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported findings of an independent review of the cladding remediation programme that “successful delivery of the project is in doubt with major risks or issues apparent".

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it reconciles the answer to question S6W-10193 by Shona Robison on 6 September 2022, and the statements regarding "risks associated to electric car charging points in car parks" in the minutes of the meeting of the Cladding Stakeholder Group, on 20 July 2022, that the Scottish Govern…

Answer · Elena Whitham: The Scottish Government is working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and other stakeholders to look at current and future risks associated with electric car charging points and more widely, lithium batteries. SFRS has also implemented the Lithi…

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many single building assessment pre-final reports from the grant-based approach it has received.

Answer · Shona Robison: We have received eight pre-final reports.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will have responsibility for the duty of care in relation to single building assessments.

Answer · Shona Robison: For the purposes of Cladding Remediation, an SBA is an assessment carried out by homeowners to determine the fire safety risk in buildings due to cladding. Duty of care for properties lies with the owners.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many communication (a) staff and (b) full time equivalent staff (i) began and (ii) ended their employment in the Cladding Remediation Unit in each month since May 2021.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Cladding Remediation Unit did not employ a full time communication staff member from May 2021 to April 2022. Since May 2022 a communication staff member has been employed, but their role crosses a number of responsibilities. Month Began Ended May 2021…

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many communication (a) staff and (b) full time equivalent staff were employed by the Cladding Remediation Unit in each month since May 2021.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Cladding Remediation Unit have employed 0 full time Communication staff since May 2021. The team currently has one dedicated staff member covering as both Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, and the Accord Service Design. This member of sta…

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when discussions regarding the alignment of work on tenement maintenance, energy efficiency, net zero and the use of the home report as a possible repository for single building assessment and EWS1 rating began, what the scope of that work is, and what progress has been made to date.

Answer · Shona Robison: This was discussed at the Cladding Stakeholder Group as an option and is currently being explored.  

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the option that was reportedly tabled at the meeting of the Cladding Stakeholder Group, on 19 January 2022, to split the single building assessment process to speed up processing.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Single Building Assessment takes a holistic approach of assessing buildings. Following professional advice from fire engineers, splitting the process would not fulfil the critical life safety requirements of the Single Building Assessment.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07055 by Shona Robison on 15 March 2022, which states that, under the Cladding Stakeholder Group's terms of reference, material generated by the Group "should remain confidential", whether it will consider publishing any material generated from the …

Answer · Shona Robison: The working group does not, in general, create new material separate from that created to organise the meetings such as agendas and meeting notes, which are now subject to publication. The Chair will take a view on proactive publication of any new material in…

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered levying a residential property developer tax.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Residential Property Developer Tax is a tax on corporate profits levied on certain companies operating across the UK primarily in the domestic construction sector. This is a reserved tax and Scottish Government has no power to introduce the same.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether cladding remediation costs identified as a result of a single building assessment will be funded (a) fully or (b) partially, and what funding options the Scottish Ministers have considered, subsequent to the meeting of the Cladding Programme Board on 20 October 2021.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is quite clear that the relevant costs of cladding remediation will be met by developers through the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord. The Scottish Government will prioritise its spend on buildings where the developer no longer exists.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether single building assessment reports are subject to peer review.

Answer · Shona Robison: The single building assessment reports undergo a review by technical staff within the Cladding Remediation Unit.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that four companies are currently providing services to assess cladded buildings in Scotland, and that it could take these companies, focusing on this programme exclusively, a minimum of two years to assess all high rise buildings.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are currently working with six fire engineering companies in the pilot phase of the single building assessment. We are engaging with professional bodies in order to expand the number of assessors and firms involved in this work.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Victoria State Government, Australia, regarding sharing experiences of cladding remediation programmes.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government officials have spoken with the Victoria State Government on matters of mutual interest in fire safety and cladding remediation.

25 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been advised by the Institution of Fire Engineers of how many fire engineers in Scotland are (a) included on the starter register and (b) registered as being suitably trained in relation to the initial phase of the single building assessment.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Institution of Fire Engineers provided a list of eleven chartered fire engineering firms that operate in Scotland. All UK chartered fire engineers are eligible to participate in the Single Building Assessment programme.

21 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that it will establish a professional indemnity scheme for single building assessments surveyors and professionals, and, if it is the case, when work to establish such an indemnity scheme began, or will begin, and when it will be launched.

Answer · Shona Robison: The UK PII Scheme started on 26 of September 2022 and covers the whole of the UK.  

19 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding it has allocated to the Tenant Grant Fund as a result of its Programme for Government announcement to widen eligibility, broken down by the allocation to each local authority.

Answer · Shona Robison: Each local authority was awarded an allocation of funds, to be used in the last financial year, ending 31 March 2022. Where it has not been possible to spend this in full, local authorities can continue to use their allocation in 2022-23 until fully spent. E…

18 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord has been agreed.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Safer Buildings Accord is an ambitious attempt to secure the cooperation of Scotland’s leading developers to address the cladding problem. It is a complex and commercially sensitive negotiation. The Scottish Government has held productive discuss…

18 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-09128 and S6W-10972 by Shona Robison on 29 June and 20 September 2022, whether it will publish all data it has received from local authorities on Tenant Grant Fund spending to date.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has asked for spending to end March 2022, end June 2022 and end September 2022. This will be published on the Scottish Government website in due course, once it has been collated and quality assured.

18 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it provided guidance to local authorities that it has widened the eligibility for the Tenant Grant Fund, and where that guidance is published.

Answer · Shona Robison: Updated guidance on the expanded criteria is being finalised and agreed with local government partners and will be published on the Scottish Government website in the coming weeks.

18 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10972 by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022, whether it has requested updated data from local authorities since 31 March 2022, and which local authorities have (a) not provided data detailing expenditure, grant and refusal figures and (b) exhausted …

Answer · Shona Robison: We have approached local authorities seeking data covering quarters one and two of the current financial year, or confirmation that the fund has been used in full and is now closed. This information is currently being quality assured before it is published on…

14 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many high rise buildings with aluminium composite material cladding that are owned by registered social landlords (a) have been remediated, (b) are currently being remediated and (c) remain un-remediated.

Answer · Shona Robison: This data is not held by the Scottish Government. It is the responsibility of Registered Social Landlords to ensure that their housing stock is safe. However, we are funding RSLs who are participating in the Single Building Assessment Programme and will conti…

14 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its publication, High rise inventory 2021: summary report, of the (a) 38 buildings in which aluminium composite material (ACM) panels were identified and (b) 23 buildings with Category 3 ACM panels, how many are owned by (i) registered social landlords, (ii) private owner…

Answer · Shona Robison: The High Rise Inventory provides information on the construction and fire safety of high rise domestic buildings. It was completed by Local Authority Building Standards departments for all relevant buildings, with data provided or verified to the best of the …

12 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which of the developers listed as having signed up to the Welsh Government’s Developers Pact, as set out in the Welsh Government’s Written Statement, Building Safety in Wales, published on 7 October 2022, have agreed to the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord.

Answer · Shona Robison: There will be some developers who are signatories to both the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord and Welsh Developers Pact. The parties to the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord will be confirmed once The Accord is signed.

12 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the status is of each (a) single building assessment and (b) single building assessment application it has received under the grant-based approach.

Answer · Shona Robison: 16 buildings are now in delivery stage with a further 11 buildings finalising applications. We have expanded the pilot to 27 buildings in order to capture an additional building attached to an original pilot building.