There is no national agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about the disposal of surplus MoD properties, although I understand that some local arrangements exist between local authorities and the MoD, such as in Moray. National framework agreements with public bodies, including UK Government Departments, are, however, being investigated in order to secure transfers of land in areas where particular need has been identified.

Local authorities have a duty to consider the housing needs of their population, including the need for sheltered housing. While the Scottish Executive has not made an assessment of the amount of sheltered housing needed to meet current and future demand, it has recently established the Review of Older People’s Housing (ROOPH) Working Group. This group will look into the housing needs of older people, and is particularly interested in sheltered housing, and how that might contribute towards the needs of the increasing number of older people in Scotland.

The Range and Capacity Review Group has been examining evidence on the future health of older people and investigating models of care and use of services and support will report in the new year. As part of their work, the group has examined best practice in integrated capacity planning between health boards and local authorities to ensure, among other things, effective support for people in their own homes and, where needed, the provision of sheltered and very sheltered housing.

In developing their local housing strategies (LHS) local authorities should consider the housing needs of particular groups including households with care and support needs. The recommendations of these groups will be incorporated into updated LHS guidance.

The Scottish House Condition Survey asks all respondents who are either owner occupiers or private renters whether the house which they currently occupy was ever owned by a local council or housing association. The survey also asks respondents who are owner occupiers whether they bought the property under the right-to-buy scheme.

The tables give information on household type and age of highest income householder from the 2002 Scottish House Condition Survey for those respondents to the survey who were owner occupiers, said that they were living in a house which had previously been owned by a local council or housing association but which they had not bought under the right-to-buy scheme

Table A: Estimated Percentage of Households in Resold Right-to-Buy Properties by Household Type

Household type	% of Households in Resold Right-to-buy Properties
Single adult	16%
Small adult	19%
Single parent	5%
Small family	24%
Large family	8%
Large adult	8%
Older smaller	11%
Single pensioner	10%
All households in resold right-to-buy properties	100%

 

Table B: Estimated Percentage of Households by Age of Highest Income Householder in Resold Right-to-Buy Properties

Age of Highest Income Householder	% of Households in Resold Right-to-buy Properties
16-24	4%
25-39	41%
40-59	33%
60-64	6%
65-74	10%
75-80	4%
Over 80	3%
All households in resold right-to-buy properties	100%

Notes:

Text of reply describes how households in resold right-to-buy properties were identified from the survey.

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1%.

Research carried out by Tribal HCH, Methodology for Assessing the Implications of Expanding Priority Need, was published earlier this year and is available on the Scottish Executive’s website.

Local authorities are also carrying out their own assessments of the impact to inform their housing and homelessness strategies. A detailed data gathering exercise was carried out earlier this year to inform preparation of the Statement on the abolition of priority need required by section 3 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003. The information provided to the Executive by each local authority can be found on the Scottish Executive’s website as can Analysis of Local Authorities Pro Formas to assess their ability to meet the abolition of the Priority Need Test which summarises and analyses the information provided.

Local authorities and registered social landlords are legislatively required to open their housing list to all residents in their area who are aged over 16 and to those who wish to move to the area for employment, medical or social reasons or because they are suffering from harassment or risk of domestic abuse. Guidance makes clear that applicants for housing should not be debarred because they have no local connection with an area, although local connection might be a factor in determining priority. No research on this specific aspect of allocations has been carried out.

Local connection is taken into account in homelessness legislation. Certain homeless households who do not have a local connection with the local authority to whom they have applied may be referred to another authority where they do have such a connection. The Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 allows for the modification of the local connection provisions and research has been carried out to inform these changes - which have not yet taken place. This research, Operation of Power to Modify Local Connection Provisions, was published earlier this year and is available on the Scottish Executive’s website. Consultation on modifying the local connection provisions in homelessness legislation will take place in 2006.

We plan to begin a review of NPPG14 on Natural Heritage in the second quarter of 2006. Although it is too early to say what will be contained in the revised NPPG14, strategies such as the Scottish Forest Strategy will be considered as we take the review forward.

The available data on antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) applications by registered social landlords (RSLs) are presented in the following table. The power to apply for ASBOs was extended to RSLs on 27 June 2003, therefore the data for 2003-04 do not represent a full year of ASBO applications.

ASBO applications by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) 2003-04 to 2004-05

Local Authority	RSL ASBO applications (2003-04)1	RSL ASBO applications (2004-05)
Aberdeen City	1	3
Aberdeenshire	0	0
Angus	0	3
Argyll and Bute	0	0
Clackmannanshire	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	7	6
Dundee City	0	3
East Ayrshire	0	0
East Dunbartonshire	0	0
East Lothian	0	0
East Renfrewshire	0	0
Edinburgh, City of	2	0
Eilean Siar	0	0
Falkirk	0	0
Fife	2	4
Glasgow	7	15
Highland	0	0
Inverclyde	1	1
Midlothian	4	3
Moray	0	0
North Ayrshire	1	0
North Lanarkshire	0	0
Orkney Islands	0	0
Perth and Kinross	0	2
Renfrewshire	1	0
Scottish Borders	0	0
Shetland Islands	0	0
South Ayrshire	0	2
South Lanarkshire	0	0
Stirling	0	2
West Dunbartonshire	0	0
West Lothian	0	0
Total	26	44

Source: Communities Scotland Annual Performance Statistical Returns 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Note: 1. The power to apply for ASBOs was extended to RSLs on 27 June 2003, therefore the data for 2003-04 do not represent a full year of ASBO applications.

Various measures have been put in place to help us achieve our native woodland commitments. Stewardship grants are now available from Forestry Commission Scotland to expand the area of native woodland, preferably through natural regeneration and the development of Forest Habitat Networks, and also to improve the ecological value of native woodland. In addition, the Locational Premium grants within the commission’s Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme are now payable for native woodland in many parts of Scotland. The commission’s Scottish Forest Alliance partnership project with BP is progressing very well, aiming to restore 10,000 hectares of native woodland sites across Scotland, whilst initiatives such as the Sunart Oakwoods are demonstrating how local communities can help towards, and benefit from, the enhancement of native woodlands in their areas.

This is a matter for SNH but I have no doubt that SNH advice to planning authorities takes due account of the full range of natural heritage interests, including protected areas, sites and species and local considerations such as biodiversity action plans.

An analysis of responses to the consultation document on the Review of the Scottish Forestry Strategy can be viewed on Forestry Commission Scotland’s website at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6c3dh7. The responses are being taken into account in the preparation of a draft revised strategy which will be issued for consultation in February.