Chamber and committees

The background information will be published on the Building Standards pages of the Scottish Government website in the week commencing 10 July 2017.

A series of sector specific guides published by Scottish Government provide practical fire safety guidance for those with responsibilities for fire safety in non-domestic premises under Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. Where possible, the guides do not set down prescriptive standards but provide recommendations regarding the Fire Risk Assessment process, the reduction of risk, and fire safety measures that can be implemented to mitigate risk.

The guidance does not stipulate the frequency of assessments but confirms that dutyholders are legally required to review the Fire Risk Assessment and its outcome regularly and to revise it where necessary.

The Scottish Government contributed £50 million (via Scottish Enterprise) to the Scottish-European Growth Co-Investment Programme, the first tranche of investment support under the Scottish Growth Scheme. This was match funded by £50 million from the European Investment Fund (EIF). The Programme is expected to lever over £100 million from EIF accredited fund managers across Europe for investment in Scottish companies.

The current building standards system legislative framework under The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 has been in place since 2005. The purpose of the system is to protect the public interest. Local authorities are responsible for managing the building standards system for their own geographic area and undertake independent checks of building at design stage and construction stage. The system is pre-emptive and a building warrant is required before work can start, and a completion certificate must be accepted by the local authority before a building can be occupied. The system is intended to ensure that building work on new and existing buildings results in buildings that meet reasonable standards, set out in building regulations, and ensure that work is carried out in a technically proper and workmanlike manner, using materials used which are durable and fit for their intended purpose.

Through its management of the NPD/hub programme and Scotland's Schools for the Future programme, the Scottish Futures Trust works with procuring authorities (including local authorities and NHS Boards) to ensure that projects taken forward through these programmes meet current building standards.

In addition, as a follow up to the Cole Report, on 9 February 2017 the Minister for Local Government and Housing wrote to local authorities and the Scottish Futures Trust wrote to local authorities and other public sector bodies underlining the importance of adhering to building regulations, technical standards and inspection processes.

Information on the number of jobs supported has been included in the answer to question S5W-09849 on 7 July 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

This investment has helped to support jobs and business activity across the Scottish economy at a time when economic uncertainty was heightened as a result of the EU referendum. In addition, such investment provides the assets and infrastructure which will support future economic growth in Scotland.

The information, including the anticipated number of jobs supported, is as follows. Unless stated otherwise, the support was provided between September 2016 and March 2017.

The £500 million Scottish Growth Scheme will unlock investment through a combination of equity, loans and guarantees over 3 years. The first tranche of investment under the scheme, the Scottish-European Growth Co-Investment Programme announced on 16 June, will provide an estimated £200m in equity investment, over the next 3 years with an anticipated profile of £40m in 2017-18, £80m in 2018-19 and £80m in 2019-20. Further initiatives under the SGS and associated phasing of funding are expected to be announced in the coming months.

The Scottish Government contributed £50 million (via Scottish Enterprise) to the Scottish-European Growth Co-Investment Programme. This was matched by £50 million from the European Investment Fund (EIF). In addition, the Programme is expected to lever over £100 million from EIF accredited fund managers across Europe for investment in Scottish companies and companies have been able to access the Programme since 16 June 2017. Details on the eligibility criteria can be found at https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/services/attract-investment/scottish-european-growth-co-investment-programme/scottish-european-growth-co-investment-programme-overview

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-09852 on 29 June 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Guidance on Local Housing Strategies (LHS) was published in 2014 and refers to the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 which requires an LHS to state how a local authority will comply with its duty under Section 106 of the Act.

Section 106 states that local authorities must exercise the functions conferred on them by the Act in a manner which encourages equal opportunities and in particular the observance of the equal opportunity requirements which are set out in the Equality Act 2010 and includes age, disability, sex (including Pregnancy and Maternity), gender reassignment, sexual orientation, race, religion and belief. An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) of the LHS Is required if people are affected by a policy or strategy, either directly or indirectly.