Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-27213

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further low interest rate loans to Lar Housing Trust, in light of the reported success of its pathfinder model, in order to advance construction of new affordable homes in Granton, Edinburgh, and elsewhere in Scotland, and, if so, when.

Since its creation in 2015 to the end of March 2024, LAR Housing Trust has acquired/developed 740 homes for mid-market rent supported by a Scottish Government loan of £55 million. 175 of these were previously National Housing Trust units. Whilst LAR Housing Trust has brought valued diversity to the provision of mid-market rent housing in Scotland, we carefully consider all of our delivery routes to best achieve our objectives and meet our Scottish Public Finance Manual obligations. The Scottish Government has confirmed to LAR Housing Trust that there is no provision for a further low interest rate loan.

Over many years, the Scottish Government has encouraged LAR to leverage in alternative sources of capital. Building on what has been achieved to date, LAR Housing Trust is in an excellent position to innovate and pivot to new opportunities, including making progress on the sites acquired in Granton and elsewhere.

Question reference: S6W-27204

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many issues NHS Lothian has reported against Consort Healthcare since it took ownership of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6W-27112

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the original funding that was allocated to the National Acquisition Plan has been distributed to each successful application, and whether it will provide an update on how much each successful applicant has spent of its distributed funding to date.

The establishment of the National Acquisition Programme (NAP), was backed by investment of at least £60 million from local authority resource planning assumptions within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2023-24 to help to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. A total of £83.146 million was spent through the National Acquisition Programme in 2023-2024. The NAP enables local authorities and registered social landlords to acquire properties of the right types, in the right places, in line with their strategic priorities.

The following table provides a breakdown of how much each grant applicant received and the corresponding percentage of this spend when compared to the total spend figure of £83.146 million.

Registered Social Landlord (RSL)	Actual Spend (£m)	Percentage of Total Spend
Abertay Housing Association Ltd	0.520	0.6%
Angus Housing Association Ltd	0.021	0.0%
Argyll Community Housing Association	0.174	0.2%
Ark Housing Association	0.140	0.2%
Barrhead Housing Association	0.248	0.3%
Blochairn Housing Co-operative Ltd	0.192	0.2%
Caledonia Housing Association Ltd	0.236	0.3%
Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association Ltd	0.973	1.2%
Cathcart & District Housing Association Ltd	0.605	0.7%
Cloch Housing Association Ltd	0.328	0.4%
Craigdale Housing Association Ltd	0.091	0.1%
Fife Housing Association Ltd	0.130	0.2%
Fyne Homes Ltd	0.008	0.01%
Glasgow Housing Association Ltd	0.729	0.9%
Govan Housing Association Ltd	0.184	0.2%
Grampian Housing Association Ltd	0.527	0.6%
Hillcrest Homes (Scotland) Ltd	0.261	0.3%
Hjaltland Housing Association Ltd	0.062	0.1%
Irvine Housing Association	0.080	0.1%
Key Housing Association Ltd	0.035	0.04%
Kingdom Housing Association Ltd	0.887	1.1%
Knowes Housing Association Ltd	0.240	0.3%
Larkfield Housing Association Ltd	0.179	0.2%
Linthouse Housing Association Ltd	4.767	5.7%
Lochfield Park Housing Association Ltd	0.330	0.4%
Maryhill Housing Association Ltd	2.933	3.5%
New Gorbals Housing Association Ltd	1.879	2.3%
North Glasgow Housing Association	0.243	0.3%
Ochil View Housing Association Ltd	0.320	0.4%
Ore Valley Housing Association Ltd	0.200	0.2%
Paisley Housing Association Ltd	0.060	0.1%
Paragon Housing Association	0.225	0.3%
Parkhead Housing Association Ltd	0.551	0.7%
Partick Housing Association Ltd	0.653	0.8%
Provanhall Housing Association Ltd	0.247	0.3%
River Clyde Homes	0.030	0.04%
Scottish Borders Housing Association Ltd	1.290	1.6%
Shettleston Housing Association Ltd	0.510	0.6%
Southside Housing Association Ltd	1.809	2.2%
The Highland Housing Alliance	1.424	1.7%
Tollcross Housing Association Ltd	0.202	0.2%
Trust Housing Association Ltd	1.921	2.3%
Waverley Housing	0.160	0.2%
West Of Scotland Housing Association Ltd	0.091	0.1%
Whiteinch and Scotstoun Housing Association Ltd	0.220	0.3%
Williamsburgh Housing Association Ltd	0.125	0.2%
Yorkhill Housing Association Ltd	0.833	1.0%
Sub-total RSL Spend (£m)	27.873	33.5%
Local Authority	Actual Spend (£m)	Percentage of Total Spend
Aberdeen City	3.000	3.6%
Aberdeenshire	0.604	0.7%
Angus	1.589	1.9%
City of Edinburgh	8.462	10.2%
Clackmannanshire	1.654	2.0%
East Ayrshire	0.925	1.1%
East Dunbartonshire	2.964	3.6%
East Lothian	0.186	0.2%
Falkirk	2.925	3.5%
Fife	2.500	3.0%
Midlothian	0.195	0.2%
Moray	0.042	0.1%
North Ayrshire	2.141	2.6%
North Lanarkshire	7.972	9.6%
Perth and Kinross	1.610	1.9%
Renfrewshire	0.712	0.9%
Shetland Islands	0.166	0.2%
South Ayrshire	1.455	1.7%
South Lanarkshire	8.563	10.3%
Stirling	1.450	1.7%
The Highland Council	2.508	3.0%
West Dunbartonshire	3.650	4.4%
Sub-total Local Authority Spend (£m)	55.273	66.5%
Total Spend (£m)	83.146	100.0%

Question reference: S6W-27108

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government from which existing budget line the commitment to uplift the Affordable Housing Supply Programme by £80 million will be funded.

Question reference: S6W-27121

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is designing a successor to the Women's Health Plan 2021-2024.

The Women’s Health Plan Foreword by the Minister for Public Health, Women's Health and Sport - Women's health plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) sets out the Scottish Government’s ambition for Women’s Health which is that ‘women and girls enjoy the best possible health, throughout their lives’ - this ambition is not limited to the lifespan of the current Plan.

The current iteration of the Women’s Health Plan comes to a close in August 2024. The Women's Health Plan First Women's health plan: progress report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and Women's health plan: second annual progress report - January 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) Second Annual Reports on Progress set out the progress on implementing the Plan.

In order to dedicate the necessary effort to the delivery of the current Plan, work will begin on a successor to the Women’s Health Plan after that time.

From September, consultation will take place with women and girls, including our lived experienced stakeholder group, clinical experts, academics and those working in the women’s health arena on the content of the policy.

During the interim phase between the end of the current policy and the development of future policy, work will continue to improve women’s health driving forward the ambitions, aims and longer term actions of the current Women’s Health Plan.

Question reference: S6W-27203

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it will have to pay Consort Healthcare when the PFI contract for the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh ends.

The project agreement for the RIE was signed in 1998 between NHSL and Consort Healthcare. Consort are responsible for the provision of facilities management and lifecycle maintenance works until the end of the Primary Period in December 2027. The Secondary Period begins automatically following the end of the Primary Period, the exact arrangements for the secondary period, which include the possibility of terminating the agreement, will be determined by the ongoing discussions and decisions taken by NHS Lothian and Consort Healthcare, which have not yet concluded.

Question reference: S6W-27257

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to accelerate woodland creation to 18,000 hectares a year by 2024-25.

Scotland’s woodland creation planting target is set out in the Climate Change Plan. The plan includes ambitious targets for woodland creation, aiming to increase woodland cover from around 18% to 21% of the total area of Scotland by 2032, with the planting target increasing to 18,000 hectares annually.

Although Scotland faces the most challenging budget settlement since devolution, the Scottish Government remains committed to maximising the important contribution forestry makes in tackling the climate emergency.

We fund woodland creation through the Forestry Grant Scheme, which has made £39.2 million available to support woodland creation in 2024-25.

Woodland creation projects, including both planting and natural regeneration schemes are being approved on an ongoing basis and whilst this funding will not allow us to reach this year’s target, it will help create over 9,000 hectares of new woodland. This will help maintain the level of planting close to the average achieved over the last 5 years and allow for increased planting in the future should funding from the UK Government be forthcoming. Putting this in context, it will still allow Scotland to create more woodland than the rest of the UK combined.

Question reference: S6W-27148

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the £90 million Green Hydrogen Fund to support hydrogen pathfinder projects up to 2025-26, as set out in its Hydrogen Action Plan.

The Scottish Government is clear that hydrogen has a key part to play as a renewable and low carbon source of energy to help meet our net zero ambitions. We remain committed to delivering the strategic approach and actions required to support the development of the hydrogen economy in Scotland over the course of this Parliament.

We are committed to delivering on our Hydrogen Action Plan, and to a hydrogen investment programme. Whilst there are currently no plans to open a call for applications to the Green Hydrogen Fund as a direct result of the UK Government imposed 10% cut to the Scottish Government capital budget, we continue to support hydrogen projects across Scotland on a case-by-case basis and will engage with projects as they come forward. In doing so, we will be working with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise and other stakeholders.

We also continue to support hydrogen innovation through our Hydrogen Innovation Scheme and, alongside Scotland’s academic researchers and industry, facilitate collaboration and develop impactful R&D projects including work on establishing the case for pipeline transportation of hydrogen from Scotland to Europe.

Question reference: S6W-27160

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made with electricity and gas network operators to realise system benefits of hydrogen, as set out in its Hydrogen Action Plan.

Scotland’s huge potential for renewable electricity generation, and hydrogen’s utility, means that it can also act as a vector for energy storage and a balancing service to the electricity grid. It can additionally act as a vector for transportation, particularly considering grid constraints.

We are engaging closely with the UKG, OfGEM, and National Grid ESO ahead of the launch of the National Energy System operator this Summer to underline the need for strategic planning and to ensure that hydrogen production, storage and system utility is considered and other areas such as progressive approaches to flexibility reform and grid connection timelines, as they affect the viability of hydrogen projects, are reflected in our engagement in strategic programmes such as the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) and Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) and the ESO Constraints Collaboration project which is seeking solutions for thermal constraints, which can reduce costs to the consumer or reduce the curtailment of renewable generation.

Question reference: S6T-01989

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in the event that the reported legal action raised against it by Biffa and any potential actions by other companies that incurred expenditure in expectation of the Deposit Return Scheme being implemented are successful and lead to any financial losses, whether it will consider suing the UK Government in respect of any such losses, in light of its reported position that the UK Government is responsible for the scheme not proceeding in Scotland.

Chamber and committees