Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-05282

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much local authorities have invested in technology specifically in advance of the e-building standards portal roll out.

The eDevelopment Programme finance model involves costs being shared, with the Scottish Government funding the capital investment in the technology and local authorities paying annual support and maintenance costs. Local authorities collectively will pay £71,000 during the current financial year for support and maintenance in relation to the eBuildingStandards.scot service.

The Scottish Government does not hold information about any other investment or costs to local authorities, in relation to their preparation for implementation of the service.

Question reference: S5W-05272

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support local authorities with the reported increase in the volume of building warrant applications that they are receiving.

Each of the 32 local authorities is responsible for resourcing their building standards services appropriately.

I have become aware that since the economic downturn of 2008 there have been situations where experienced Building Standards Managers and staff have either retired or taken voluntary exit arrangements from local authorities. At the same time there appears to have been little corresponding intake of trainee or apprentice Building Standards Officers in many areas of Scotland. I understand that as the volume of building projects has been increasing some local authorities have had difficulty in recruiting and replacing staff. The Scottish Government is currently consulting on Building Warrant Fees which includes a proposal to increase fees to provide additional funding to local authorities.

Question reference: S5W-05273

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of recent research carried out by Pye Consulting on its behalf in its report, Evaluation of the performance of local authorities in their role as building standards verifiers, which shows large variances in the overall performance of local authorities in allocating building warrants.

Question reference: S5W-05276

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it aims to reduce inconsistencies across local authorities in the delivery of building standards verification.

Question reference: S5W-05424

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) where vacant and derelict town centre buildings have been brought back into use as affordable housing through the Town Centre Housing Fund.

Through the Town Centre Housing Fund, £2.55 million was awarded to six projects, bringing vacant and derelict town centre buildings back into use and providing 75 units for affordable housing across six local authority areas – Angus, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Fife, Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross.

Recipient	Funding	Project	Units
Angus Council	£200k	Commonwealth House, Carnoustie	4 (social rent)
Clackmannanshire Council	£782k	Ann Street, Tillicoultry	17 (social rent)
East Dunbartonshire Council	£200k	85-85 Townhead	15 (social rent)
Castlerock Edinvar Housing Association	£350k	22-24 Bridge Street, Tranent	7 (social rent)
Fife Council	£764k	County Buildings, Cupar	18 (14 social rent/4 intermediate rent)
Kingdom Housing Association	£255k	Former Crown Hotel, Crieff	14 (social rent)

Town Centre Housing Fund promotes town centre living, a key theme of our Town Centre Action Plan (TCAP) through the provision of quality, affordable housing. The measures set out in the TCAP set the conditions and support activity across the wider public, private and community sectors to tackle the key issues in town centres across Scotland.

The Town Centre First Principle agreed by the Scottish cabinet and all Council Leaders asks that all investment decisions consider the impact on the town centre as a starting point.

Question reference: S5W-04902

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage the development of empty units above shops into residential accommodation.

The Scottish Government is keen to encourage owners of empty properties to bring them back into use to increase the supply of housing in Scotland. We are tackling the problem through legislative changes, provision of funding, and practical advice and assistance.

We are providing £2.6 million through the Town Centre Housing Fund to bring vacant and derelict town centre buildings back into use as affordable housing. We have made up to £4 million available through the Town Centre Empty Homes Fund to bring empty properties back into use as affordable housing. In addition the
£4.5 million Empty Homes Loan Fund provides loans to owners to help them renovate empty homes and make them available as affordable housing.

We are also funding the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which has been managed by Shelter Scotland since 2010. The Partnership provides practical assistance to councils and others to help owners bring their empty properties back into use.

At local authority level, the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc.) (Scotland) Act 2012 and its subsequent regulations allow councils to both remove the discount on certain types of unoccupied homes and to increase the level of council tax payable on these properties. 20 Councils are currently applying the vacant dwelling council tax powers with 17 applying the full 100% increase.

Question reference: S5W-04904

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many police officers there (a) are and (b) have been in each of the last five years in North Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S5W-04905

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote investment in town centres.

The Scottish Government is promoting investment in town centres through the Town Centre Action Plan (TCAP). The plan is a cross-government response to the recommendations of the national review of town centres and includes actions designed to support their revitalisation and to assist local action towards achieving this.

The Town Centre First Principle (TCFP) which underpins the action plan was jointly developed by Scottish Government and COSLA. The principle is about adopting an approach to decisions that considers the vibrancy of town centres as a starting point. It asks that the health of town centres features in decision making processes. The principle is about open, measured and transparent decision making that takes account of medium to longer term impacts on town centres.

More information on TCAP and TCFP can be found at the Scottish Government town centre regeneration website:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/regeneration/town-centres

We encourage businesses to invest in town centres by delivering the most competitive business tax environment in the UK, with two in five properties in Scotland paying zero or reduced rates under the Scottish Government’s Small Business Bonus Scheme and relief also available under Fresh Start.

We have introduced a substantial power under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 which gives councils more control over business rates and an opportunity to tailor them to their local area and circumstance. It could be applied in order to attract new investment into our town centres.

Question reference: S5W-04903

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the review of the Police Scotland estate, what action it is taking with Police Scotland to ensure that local stations are protected.

Question reference: S5T-00194

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2016
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether powers will be removed from councils by its local government review and, if so, which.