Chamber and committees

It is not possible to confirm what the updated set of affordable housing investment benchmarks will be at this point as the current set of benchmarks will be adjusted using the differential between the Scottish Social Housing Tender Price Index for the year to December 2022, unless evidence starts to suggest that an earlier review of benchmarks is required.

Scottish Government has allocated £4.9 million to local authorities for expenditure in 2022-23 and intends to allocate the same sum in 2023-24 in relation to making period products available for free. This includes meeting their duties as set out in the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021, which came into force on 15 August 2022.

Local authorities have not stated at this point that additional funding will be required in 2022-23 or 2023-24 to meet demand. However, through a bid-in process agreed through COSLA, Scottish Government will make provision for additional funding if this is required to meet costs as a result of increased demand or activities required to implement the Act.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09235 on 18 July 2022. 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 Island Communities Impact Assessment did not require ministerial sign off however, it formed part of the 2020 Short-term Let Consultation Report which was signed off by Kevin Stewart who was the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning.

Unless evidence starts to suggest that an earlier review of benchmarks is required, the next set of affordable housing investment benchmarks will be published in the fourth quarter of the current financial year. These will then come into effect at the start of next financial year.

Work to progress the medium and long term solutions for the A83 Rest and Be Thankful is currently being overseen by seven civil servants, including four chartered civil engineers. This is a typical client team resource for a project of this size and the civil servants involved are also responsible for the oversight and management of other projects within Transport Scotland. The member will note that technical consultants have now been appointed to progress the long and medium term options for the Rest and Be Thankful.

NatureScot have made staff available to assist the Seabird Centre with the analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images, which were gathered by the Centre in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh. The images have been used to assess the bird populations. NatureScot, alongside the Seabird Centre and the University, are considering options to repeat this survey next year.

We are aware of the global issues affecting construction and their impact on the pace of delivery of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. The submission of Scottish Social Housing Tender Returns is an important tool in helping inform the Scottish Social Housing Tender Price Index and the annual review of investment benchmarks. The latest Scottish Social Housing Tender Price Index was based on analysis of ten projects and results are provisional. We rely on partners providing timely and good quality Housing Tender Returns to enable comprehensive analysis to be undertaken. We operate a flexible grant system and continue to work closely with partners to ensure the delivery of affordable housing as quickly as practically possible.

On 28 April 2022, the UK’s Subsidy Control Bill received Royal Assent, becoming the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (the Act). Although the UK’s domestic subsidy control regime now has statutory footing, most of the Act has not entered into force, meaning the interim regime based on the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) remains applicable. The new regime is expected to be operational later this year. Officials will continue to work through the UK Government’s proposals to understand the impact on subsidies, including on ferry services.

It is for each Health Board to determine locally how best to promote and raise awareness of Whistleblowing and their Whistleblowing Champions. In addition, the Scottish Government includes questions on whistleblowing in the Staff Governance Monitoring Returns which Boards complete annually.