Mark Griffin

9 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total extent of land designated as Green Belt inScotland is as at 31 March 2025; what percentage of Scotland’s total land areathis represents, and what changes have occurred in the total area designated asGreen Belt between 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025, including any ch…

Answer · Ivan McKee: As of 31 March 2025, Scotland had 164,532 hectares of land designated as Green Belt, according to the latest Improvement Service spatial data.This represents approximately 2.1% of Scotland’s total land area.We do not hold information on changes in the t…

30 Sep 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply to end June 2025.

11 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to support Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) in delivering the next steps of its franchise framework assessment, and whether it will commit to ensuring that adequate resources are provided to support this work.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) approved the Final Draft of the Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy on 19 September. A costed programme and timeline for delivery of a Franchise Framework Assessment as required by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019) w…

11 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the decision by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to progress with its franchise framework assessment, and what engagement its ministers have had with SPT regarding this process.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We encourage all local transport authorities to consider the full range of tools available to them under the Transport (Scotland) 2019 Act, so it is pleasing to see SPT are fully exploring the 2019 Act powers with a view on improving bus services in their are…

11 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that regional transport partnerships (RTPs) are adequately funded, in light of its reported position that public transport is best delivered at a regional level and the Verity House Agreement’s reported lack of reference to regional bodies in fundi…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government continues to support Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) through targeted funding streams aligned with its commitment to delivering public transport at a regional level. While the Verity House Agreement sets out principles for colla…

11 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what capital funding is currently available to regional transport partnerships (RTPs) for the delivery of regional transport infrastructure, and whether the criteria for the People and Place Programme will be amended to include regional capital projects such as park and ride facilities t…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is providing Scotland’s seven regional transport partnerships (RTPs) with up to £15.5 million of capital grant funding from the People and Place Programme (total value £23.4 million, split between resource and capital…

10 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what process is in place for a complainant to make representations to the Scottish Ministers following a report from the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) regarding a property factor’s failure to comply with a Property Factor Enforcement Order, and whe…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: During development of the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, careful consideration was given to homeowner redress. The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland was established as an independent judicial body to hear disputes and, where appropriate, issue Property …

10 Sep 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the culture secretary last met with Creative Scotland to discuss the future of Cumbernauld Theatre, in light of reported concerns about its funding.

8 Sep 2025 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Scottish local authorities spent over £100 million last year on bed and breakfast and hostel accommodation for homeless people.  

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional planning applications it anticipates will be approved as a result of any planning reforms, and what metrics will be used to measure the impact or success of any reforms.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Every planning application must be determined on its own merits. When applying planning judgement all relevant policies and material considerations need to be weighed, following the requirements set by section 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Ac…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £4.9 billion investment in housing is (a) a reallocation from existing housing or local government budgets and (b) new investment.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Up to £4.9 billion will be delivered through a mixture of public and privately leveraged investment. More detail will be set out in the upcoming Scottish Budget and Scottish Spending Review.

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties it anticipates will be acquired through the £3 million investment in the Housing First expansion scheme, and what estimate it has made of total demand.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the expansion of Housing First and has pledged £3 million to incentivise registered social landlords to pledge additional tenancies through the acquisition of suitable properties. We anticipate that thi…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investment and support has been provided to date to facilitate increased housing in Blindwells in East Lothian, and whether it plans to replicate this approach in other high-demand areas.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: To date, the Scottish Government has provided grant funding to both the Council and local RSLs to deliver 155 social rented homes through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in Blindwells with another 52 homes planned for approval this year. Funding has a…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considered extending the Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) scheme to support other groups, such as low-income households or those at risk of homelessness, and for what reason it chose to focus on first-time buyers.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: From 2 September, first-time buyers can apply to the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) alongside the priority access groups. OMSE aims to help those on low to moderate incomes secure a home that they may not otherwise have been able to do.

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the £4.9 billion investment in housing will be allocated across each financial year.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Up to £4.9 billion will be invested in housing through a mixture of public and privately leveraged investment. The upcoming Scottish Government Budget and Scottish Spending Review will set out further detail.

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be used by local authorities to determine when temporary accommodation can be “flipped” to permanent housing, and how households will be supported.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Key to a successful programme of flipping activity is ensuring that the accommodation is of good quality and meets the needs of the household. In my statement on the housing emergency, I referenced the guidance produced by ALACHO on flipping temporary accommo…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the £2 million investment in Discretionary Housing Payments will be allocated, and what criteria will be used to determine eligibility for support in accessing settled homes in the private rented sector.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The investment in discretionary housing payments (DHPs) announced as part of the Housing Emergency Action Plan on 2 September will be made available to local authorities experiencing the most sustained temporary accommodation pressures via a distribution meth…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the new £1 million national Fund to Leave will be distributed; how many women were supported through the pilot, and what the average amount received was.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The new £1 million national fund to leave will be distributed on the basis of population of each local authority area in Scotland. This was the method used in the fund to leave pilot.The evaluation of the pilot fund to leave by Scottish Women’s Ai…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the £4.9 billion investment in housing will be delivered through (a) new capital funding and (b) Financial Transactions.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government will confirm the breakdown of up to £4.9 billion in the Scottish Budget and Scottish Spending Review.

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been acquired to date using its voids and acquisition fund, and how many additional homes it anticipates will result from the additional funding announced on 2 September 2025.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: In 2024–25, the Scottish Government supported the delivery of 966 affordable homes, including 351 acquisitions and 615 voids, through £40 million in targeted acquisition and voids funding.A further £40 million for acquisitions was announced …

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what methodology was used to estimate the level of private investment anticipated from the increased funding for the Affordable Homes Supply Programme announced on 2 September 2025, and what assumptions underpin those projections.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government will deliver up to £4.9 billion of investment over the coming four years, with homes delivered through a mixture of public and privately leveraged investment. Further details will be outlined in the forthcoming Spending Review.

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure equitable access to the new Fund to Leave across all local authority areas, and what support will be provided to any dependants.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: We will work with Scottish Women’s Aid to ensure the fund to leave is open to women across Scotland who are in need of financial support to leave an abusive partner.

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the £768 million budget for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2025-26 represents a net increase compared with previous years, and how much is new, versus restored, funding.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Following announcement of the additional £40m in targeted voids and acquisitions in my statement to Parliament on 2 September, the 2025-26 budget for AHSP is £807.745m and represents an increase of £251.883m when compared to the original pub…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support staffing increases in planning departments, and how it will ensure that workforce capacity meets the demands of the Housing Emergency Action Plan.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The overall staffing of planning services is a matter for local authorities and it is up to them to decide how their resources are allocated based on their priorities. The Scottish Government does not dictate to authorities how much money should be allocated …

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding will be provided to local authority planning departments to support the emergency-led approach to housing delivery.

Answer · Ivan McKee: We have taken action to improve the financial resources available to planning authorities, introducing an annual inflation linked increase to planning fees with those changes increasing fees in line with inflation in December 2024 and most recently in June 20…

4 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many households it anticipates will be supported through the £2 million investment in Discretionary Housing Payments, and how its impact will be monitored.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: We know that local authorities across Scotland are facing significant housing and homelessness challenges. However, some are experiencing much greater pressure than others, as evidenced by higher numbers of households living in temporary accommodation.The add…

18 Aug 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority of the number of times that Land and Buildings Transaction Tax first-time buyer relief has been used in each year from 2021 to 2024.

Answer · Shona Robison: As the tax authority with responsibility for the collection and management of Scotland’s devolved taxes, Revenue Scotland publishes data on its website regarding Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.Revenue Scotland has published a local authority breakdo…

18 Aug 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to further review the change in the Additional Dwelling Supplement rate following the completion of the current Land and Buildings Transaction Tax review.

Answer · Shona Robison: Decisions on the rates and bands in place for Land and Buildings Transaction Tax are considered annually as part of the Scottish Budget.As set out in Scottish Budget 2025-26, the conclusions of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax review will support decisi…

18 Aug 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data is available on the impact of the increase in the Additional Dwelling Supplement rate for Land and Buildings Transaction Tax from 6% to 8%.

Answer · Shona Robison: Data on Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Additional Dwelling Supplement transactions, revenues and repayments is collected and published monthly by Revenue Scotland.There is however no specific and attributable data available on the impact of the Additional…

18 Aug 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, as committed to during consideration of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget, and when the findings of the review will be published.

Answer · Shona Robison: Work related to the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax review is ongoing.Alma Economics has been appointed to undertake independent research on various aspects of the legislation and will engage with a range of relevant organisations to support this. The Scot…