Mark Griffin

24 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it conducts of the characteristics of households and tenancy arrangements in the operational build-to-rent sector, and the affordability of, and tenancies offered in, proposed developments.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not conduct monitoring of the characteristics of households and tenancy arrangements in the build to rent sector. Build to Rent is recognised as a mainstream housing delivery mechanism and can complement existing housing models. …

24 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Single Building Assessment will align with the proposed Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022.

Answer · Shona Robison: Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 are currently being drafted. The intention is to lay these regulations in the Scottish Parliament shortly. The regulations are not retrospective and will apply to new buildings, alterations to existing buildings …

24 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether current building standards regulations permit combustible cladding and insulation materials to be used on the exterior of high-rise buildings over 11m and high-risk buildings in Scotland if the buildings pass a BS 8414 test.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Current building regulations require that fire spread on external walls is inhibited. The guidance which supports the regulations calls for non-combustible or limited combustibility cladding and insulation materials on the exterior walls of high rise building…

24 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the minutes of the fourth meeting of the Fire Safety Review Panel will be published, and when the Panel will next meet.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The fourth and final meeting of the Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel 2020-22 took place on 24 January 2022. Draft minutes of the meeting were circulated to members of the panel for comment on 03 March 2022. The final minutes will then be publishe…

24 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication, Planning circular 01/2021: Establishing a Short-term Let Control Area, which is described as being out of date until a new version is made available in Spring 2022, what impact this will have on the (a) control area designation process by local authorities a…

Answer · Tom Arthur: Planning Circular 01/2021 remains the current guidance on these matters. The Scottish Government is working to update Planning Circular 01/2021 to reflect minor changes to the regulations which came into effect on 1 March 2022 and will publish a revised Circ…

24 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its process and timeline is for considering whether to approve the City of Edinburgh Council short-term let control area designation.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Ministers will consider any applications for approval of a proposed short-term let control area in accordance with the relevant legislation and the considerations set out in Planning Circular 01/2021.

23 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties it has supported the purchase of through the New Supply Shared Equity scheme, and, of those, how many it (a) has taken and (b) retains a “golden share” in, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Shona Robison: Annual New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) sales are published as part of the attached Affordable Housing Supply Programme Out-turn Reports. More homes: Affordable Housing Supply Programme - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) The number of NSSE sales with a golden share …

23 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the pipeline of around 9,000 Build to Rent homes in major cities, which are referred to in the Housing to 2040 strategy, are at the more affordable end of market rents.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not gather information on the affordability of rents in the Build to Rent sector. Build to Rent is recognised as a mainstream housing delivery mechanism and can complement existing housing models. Build to Rent can be characteri…

23 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Housing to 2040 strategy supports the development of the next generation of housing management professionals.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Housing to 2040 strategy and the New Deal for Tenants Draft Strategy consultation both encourage professionalism in the housing industry. The consultation particularly seeks views on how to drive up standards in the private rented sector, including around…

23 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last conducted an audit of the housing management profession workforce, skills and succession planning required to support the profession and the delivery of the Housing to 2040 strategy.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government do not have a remit in relation to the training and skills of the housing sector workforce, social landlords have a duty to train their staff appropriately and this includes the upcoming delivery of any Housing to 2040 outcomes, and pr…

22 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has begun assessing the additional resourcing and skills requirements of the Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), and when it will prepare a strategy to address these requirements.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government is engaging closely with COSLA and Heads of Planning Scotland to make sure we have a common understanding of the pressures faced by the planning service and to promote a highly performing system which can deliver on the ambitions set o…

22 Feb 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many households are waiting for social housing in Central Scotland.

22 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many households in the Central Scotland region are waiting for social housing.

21 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it regulates large-scale private sector landlords, in light of reports that around one in 10 private-rented properties in Edinburgh are owned by just 15 registered landlords.

Answer · Shona Robison: Private sector landlords in Scotland are subject to the same regulatory requirements, irrespective of the number of properties they let. Most private landlords are required to apply for registration with their local authority under Part 8 of the Antisocial …

21 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the conveyancing system and associated legislation.

Answer · Ash Regan: There are currently no plans to undertake such a review. The Scottish Government receives a low level of correspondence about how the system of house buying and selling operates in Scotland.  

21 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether and how the conveyancing system contributes to rising house prices.

Answer · Ash Regan: No assessment has been made of whether and how the conveyancing system may affect house prices. Conveyancing is the legal process that transfers ownership of a property from one person to another including the completion of the missives.  

21 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what targeted support it is providing to homeless people in light of comments by Homeless Project Scotland that people are "struggling to cope with life" amid the reported cost of living crisis.

Answer · Shona Robison: We have introduced a range of targeted measures to support people experiencing homelessness who are affected by the rising costs of living. We have committed £52.5 million since 2018-19 to support local authorities to implement rapid rehousing approaches, inc…

17 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will review the Council Tax (Variation for Unoccupied Dwellings) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2016.

Answer · Shona Robison: In this Parliament we will review the role of taxation in supporting our Housing to 2040 vision for both new and existing homes and our communities. Housing to 2040 commits the Scottish Government to developing options for tax reform. As part of that, we wil…

17 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it regulates the build-to-rent sector.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Build to Rent Sector is subject to the same regulatory requirements as other private rented sector accommodation. For example, complying with Landlord Registration and Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing. From 1 December 2017, new tenancy agreements f…

10 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many COVID-19 vaccines it has shared with its partner international development countries, including Rwanda, Malawi and Zambia.

Answer · Neil Gray: COVID-19 vaccines are procured on a four nations basis via the UK Vaccines Taskforce. As Scotland is not a member of the COVAX scheme, we are not in a position to share vaccines with our international development partner countries. We will continue to engage …

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the current National Infection Prevention and Control Manual guidance on the PPE that should be worn, when providing direct care for patients on the respiratory pathway, should be interpreted to include COVID-19 as a known or suspected pathogen transmitted by the airborne route t…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: PPE guidance is developed by infection prevention and control (IPC) experts on a four-nation basis and they maintain that current evidence does not support a change to the current IPC guidance on respiratory protective equipment (RPE). WHO has not changed its…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will update the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual to advise that respiratory protective equipment should be required by healthcare workers treating patients with COVID-19 based on a risk assessment, rather than only being reserved for those performing aerosol ge…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: FFP3 respirator masks can be worn when working in the respiratory pathway in a clinical area deemed as having an unacceptable risk of transmission by the NHS Board. This would be initiated by an environmental risk assessment and rigorous application of the Hi…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote awareness of the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Tenant Hardship Loan Fund is now closed to new applications and there will be no further awareness raising of the loan. However, tenants can still seek support for pandemic related rent arrears through the Tenant Grant Fund, which is non-repayable and bei…

7 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06157 by Keith Brown on 7 February 2022, what statistics the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) routinely publishes; what statistics it is required to publish, and whether it will review the transparency and reporting du…

Answer · Keith Brown: The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) features within the Scottish Tribunals Annual Report. In addition to this the Housing and Property Chamber has recently published a statistical report which provides information including; th…

7 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which Minister is responsible for chairing and delivering the work programme of the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group is jointly chaired by COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, Councillor Kelly Parry and I. We share responsibility for chairing meetings and they and HPSG members have collective responsibility for agreeing th…

7 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions since May 2021 the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group has (a) met and (b) cancelled or rearranged a meeting, and of these, for what reason was the meeting cancelled, and whether the implementation of the next phase of the Ending Homelessness Together action …

Answer · Shona Robison: Since May 2021, the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group (HPSG) has met on one occasion, 5 November 2021. Meetings take place once every quarter, subject to parliamentary and local government business, with the next meeting scheduled for March. A meeti…

7 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties supported through the Open Market Shared Equity scheme it (a) has taken and (b) retains a “golden share” in, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Shona Robison: Our records show that 178 properties have been purchased with golden share and 171 properties retain golden share through the Open Market Shared Equity scheme. Local Authority Area No. of Properties Purchased with Golden Share No. of Properties Retained wi…

7 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) Equality Impact Assessment and (b) Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment it has conducted in relation to the build-to-rent sector.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government currently has no initiatives specifically designed to support the growth of the Build to Rent sector. Any Build to Rent development proposals are considered through the planning system taking into account relevant issues and impacts.

7 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-00316 by Shona Robison on 3 November 2021, what the (a) name and (b) purpose is of the short life working group; where its minutes are published; how many times it has met, and what the findings of the group are.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The name of the short-life group was the Materials Shortages Working Group. The purpose of the group was to examine where the immediate shortages were most acute and to identify opportunities to remove barriers and build capacity within Scotland. The minutes…

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05703 by Shona Robison on 27 January 2022, whether information about the construction and fire safety of high rise non-domestic buildings is collected and, if so, what format that information is available in, and how many high-rise student accom…

Answer · Shona Robison: Shona Robison: There is no central source for this information, however some of this information is held by local authorities and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). In November 2019, the Scottish Funding Council published a call for information to…