- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-01210 by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2011, what plans it has to extend the Healthier, Wealthier Children project outwith the NHS Glasgow and Greater Clyde area.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to extend the Healthier, Wealthier Children project outwith the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-01210 by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2011, what work is being done to tackle social deprivation and inequality in North Ayrshire.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01979 and S4W-01980 on 25 August 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.
The Scottish Government Tackling Poverty budget for 2011-12 is not directly allocating funding to North Ayrshire. Information on how the North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership is working to tackle social deprivation and inequality can be found at the local authority website.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 8 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a Housing Association Grant will be provided for the third phase of the Vineburgh regeneration project.
Answer
Phase 3 of the Vineburgh Regeneration project is the subject of a bid by Cunninghame Housing Association to the housing association stream of the Innovation and Investment Fund. All bids to the fund are currently being assessed by the Scottish Government. It is intended that the outcome of this assessment will be announced in mid September 2011.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2011
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address the impact on schools with higher than average returns of S5 and S6 pupils.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 September 2011
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 2 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on its commitment that all unintentionally homeless households will be entitled to settled accommodation by December 2012.
Answer
The main indicator of progress towards the target is the percentage of homelessness assessments regarded as being in priority need; the closer a local authority is to assessing 100% then the closer it is to meeting the 2012 target.
In 2003, when the act was passed that introduced the commitment, Scottish local authorities were assessing 57% of homeless households as being in priority need. In the first quarter of 2011-12 the figure stood at an average of 87%. There has also been a reduction in the number of repeat applications and the numbers of families with children placed in bed and breakfasts.
This progress reflects work by individual local authorities, but also support provided from the Scottish Government to local authorities since the establishment of the target. This has included specific targeted support for housing investment, the work of the Scottish Government/COSLA Joint 2012 Steering Group and support to establish housing options hubs to improve approaches to preventing homelessness.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many families are on the housing transfer list in North Ayrshire.
Answer
Information on the housing transfer list is held on the basis of households. On 31 March 2009 there were 1,150 households on North Ayrshire Council’s housing transfer list. This is the most recent date for which figures are available.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many families live in (a) local authority and (b) registered social landlord housing that falls below the Scottish Housing Quality Standard in (i) Scotland and (ii) North Ayrshire.
Answer
The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides the following data on the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) for the period 2007-09.
Number of Houses that Fall Below the SHQS
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Scottish Local Authorities
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263,000
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Scottish Registered Social Landlords
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151,000
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Local Authority Housing in North Ayrshire
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12,000
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SHCS is unable to provide figures for registered social landlords (RSLs) in North Lanarkshire because the sample size is not sufficient.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to stimulate the construction industry in the housing sector.
Answer
The Scottish Government is making a significant investment and taking a range of action to stimulate activity and create and support employment in the housing sector, including through the Innovation and Investment Fund, the New Supply Shared Equity with Developers Scheme and the National Housing Trust initiative. In addition, we intend shortly to announce a call for bids to a Housebuilding Infrastructure Loan Fund and are supporting work by Homes for Scotland to stimulate activity through the development of a private sector mortgage indemnity scheme for new build housing.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what new powers it will give local authorities to deal with landlords who leave properties (a) vacant or derelict and (b) run down.
Answer
The Scottish Government plans to introduce powers to allow local authorities to charge a Council Tax levy on long-term empty properties. This will aim both to encourage homeowners to make their homes available for rent or sale and to raise additional revenue to fund affordable housing.
Local authorities already have powers under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 to issue work notices or maintenance orders to homeowners where a house is sub-standard to require the owner to bring it into and keep it in a reasonable state of repair. In both cases, the local authority can enforce the notice or order if the owner fails to take action. If a property is in a serious state of disrepair, local authorities can also obtain a Compulsory Purchase Order in order to take ownership of the property.
As set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, a private landlord cannot let a property unless it meets the requirements of the Repairing Standard at the start of and during a tenancy. Whilst it is the Private Rented Housing Panel which considers cases where a tenant feels their landlord is not complying with the Repairing Standard, local authorities will be required under the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011 to take account of breaches of the Repairing Standard when considering whether someone is fit and proper to be a landlord under the landlord registration regime.
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support the funding of affordable housing in North Ayrshire.
Answer
Over the past four years we have awarded £31 million to housing associations in North Ayrshire and £1.6 million to North Ayrshire Council to support the delivery of affordable housing. During that period we approved 293 housing association homes for rent, 35 housing association homes for low cost home ownership and 63 council houses. Some of these projects continue to attract Scottish Government investment in the current year, including Phase 2 of the Vineburgh Regeneration Project in Irvine. This investment will increase the supply of new affordable housing in North Ayrshire.
For 2011-12 a new competitive funding arrangement, the Innovation and Investment Fund, has been introduced by the Scottish Government to allow all suppliers to provide new affordable housing.
