Chamber and committees

Local authorities can, and are, using existing compulsory purchase powers to bring empty homes back into use. The Scottish Government is also reforming and modernising Scotland's compulsory purchase system to make it simpler, more streamlined and fairer, and have committed to legislate for the proposed reforms during this Parliament, as set out in the Programme for Government.

Not all action on empty homes requires legislative reform and in 2026-27, we are investing £2 million to continue to drive down the number of empty homes.

As part of continuous improvement, we will continue to monitor whether compulsory sale or lease powers could provide any additional benefits beyond a reformed compulsory purchase system.

The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund is a demand-led fund that supports the delivery of affordable homes for key workers in rural and island communities. Application can be made by eligible organisations, including local authorities and registered social landlords.

Scottish Government recognises the importance of accessible and adapted housing in supporting people to live independently in their communities. This is why we have protected the Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) Adaptations Programme budget, maintaining this at £20.9 million for 2026-27.

While we have no plans to establish a national framework for recording accessible and adapted social housing, we are, however, committed to making accessibility a mainstream feature of all new homes. To this end, we have delivered the first milestone in our 100-day commitment to improve the accessibility, adaptability and usability of Scotland’s homes. Specialists have been appointed to support the review and modernisation of the Housing for Varying Needs design guide, a key reference document for the affordable housing sector in Scotland, and to progress our commitment to deliver a new all-tenure Scottish Accessible Homes Standard through updates to building standards and guidance. A dedicated working group, bringing together industry stakeholders, healthcare professionals, academia and people with lived experience, will help shape the future direction of this work ahead of a public consultation on detailed proposals planned for early 2027.

To ensure the review is informed by robust evidence, we are commissioning independent research on how the repossession grounds operate in practice, including the experiences of landlords and tenants.

Scottish Ministers are required to complete the review and publish a report on its findings, and any proposed actions, by 5 November 2027. The review remains on track to meet that statutory deadline.

We are committed to ensuring that the voices of people with lived experience help shape policy.

As part of the work developing possible proposals for a Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill, including on access to Scotland's justice system, we engaged with neurodivergent people, people with learning disabilities, organisations representing them and practitioners working across the justice system. This included our Bill Advisory Panels, organisations such as ARC Scotland and People First (Scotland), which co-run the lived experience group of the SOLD Network, and justice agencies including Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service. We also sought views through a public consultation.

While the Bill is not being progressed, the lived experience evidence gathered through the development of its proposals, including for the justice system, will continue to shape future policy and delivery.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W – 04056 on 22 October 2026. As part of continuous improvement, we will continue to monitor whether compulsory sale and lease powers could provide any additional powers beyond a reformed compulsory purchase system.

The Scottish Government’s Compulsory Purchase Reform in Scotland consultation demonstrated support for reforming and modernising Scotland's compulsory purchase system. The consultation also included questions on compulsory sale and lease orders. The majority of respondents expressed support in principle for compulsory sale powers, however some questioned whether these could offer additional advantages beyond a reformed compulsory purchase process. Support for compulsory lease is less clear, with concerns about the complexity involved and any added value.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The work to consult and publish a Code has required detailed review and revision, and, during that period, work was reprioritised in response to significant pressures across the criminal justice system, including the Coronavirus pandemic. The extent of changes in law, policy and practice since the Code’s initial development now requires refinement of the earlier draft before public consultation.

Work on the Code has now restarted, including engagement with criminal justice partners. The Lord Advocate has prioritised completion of the Code and work is being progressed expeditiously towards the required consultation.

As set out in the answer to S7W-02843, the aim is to complete the consultation and publication process by early 2027. That continues to be the intended timetable, subject to the responses received through consultation and any amendments required to the draft Code as a result.

The absence of a published Code does not mean that investigative functions have operated without established legal and procedural safeguards during this period.

Whether or not a self-catering accommodation business is viable is not relevant to the requirement for any business to comply with any regulation requirements. Licensing focuses on the safety and suitability of the accommodation and the host to operate a short-term let. Planning is concerned with the use of land and wider impacts on amenity and communities, considering issues such as the effect on neighbours, housing supply, and the character of an area.

The short-term let licensing regime requires compliance with other regulatory regimes such as fire, gas and electrical safety. Therefore while planning is also a separate regime with a different remit, it is not unique for planning to be linked to licensing in this way. It ensures short-term lets comply with all relevant conditions and requirements to operate and reduces the burden on local authorities that would otherwise be granting licences when they are aware of planning restrictions preventing the property being used as a short-term let.

Under existing planning law, planning permission is required for any material change of use to short-term letting. Operating without planning permission, where required, is a breach of planning control and planning authorities can take enforcement action. Under licensing legislation, authorities may refuse to consider new licensing applications if they believe there is a breach of planning control, which could prevent the lawful use of a property as a short-term let regardless of whether a licence was issued. In control areas, to obtain a licence, hosts must have obtained planning consent, or applied for it, if required under planning law.

Transport Scotland has not held any formal meetings with external stakeholders regarding Argyll and Bute Council's Oban Harbour Revision Order application since it was submitted in November 2023.

In administering the statutory Harbour Order process, officials have had limited engagement with relevant parties on factual and procedural matters relating to the application, and have engaged internally as required on administrative and legal aspects of the process.

As Scottish Ministers are responsible for determining the application through the statutory procedures set out in the Harbours Act 1964, the views of applicants, objectors and other interested parties are considered through the formal consultation and written representation processes.

The legal responsibility for housing and homelessness services in Edinburgh, including the provision and management of temporary accommodation, sits with the City of Edinburgh Council. Under the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014, temporary accommodation provided to households must meet certain standards, including access to appropriate cooking facilities. Access to suitable cooking facilities allows households to prepare meals and make choices about the food they eat while residing in temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Edinburgh Community Food to work with relevant local authorities and NHS Lothian to help improve access to healthier food options and improve diets, including for people living in temporary accommodation.