Chamber and committees

The funding allocated for the 85 per cent funding floor from the introduction in 2012-13 up to and including 2023-24 is set out in a document that has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Bib number 64023

The Local Government Finance settlement also includes a main funding floor however that is self-funding which means that the 85 per cent funding floor is the only funding floor mechanism where the Scottish Government provides additional funding. The purpose of the main funding floor is to provide a degree of stability for all local authorities where the alignment of funding with relative need results in a lower-than-average change in the year-to-year funding. The main funding floor forms part of the needs based distribution formula that is discussed and agreed with COSLA on behalf of all their members each year.

The number of full time equivalent staff employed by the Scottish Government varies throughout the financial year, so figures provided represent a snapshot. On 16 February 2023 the Scottish Government employed 53.7 full time equivalent frontline communications (press office) staff whose role includes media relations.

The recruitment of media relations staff by public bodies and agencies is a matter for those organisations and the information requested in regard to this is not held centrally.

The average repairs and maintenance expenditure per council house by local authority from 1998-99 to 2021-22 is set out in a document that has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Bib number 64022.

It should be noted that the vast majority of funding available to councils is provided by means of a block grant from the Scottish Government. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on maintenance of council housing, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The Scottish Government does not hold the full level of information requested for reasons outlined in the answer to S6W-15113 on 8 March 2023. Each Fuel lnsecurity Fund partner is distinct in terms of their delivery with the use of funding and targeted support measures and approach, which will determine their level and volume of applications, proportionate on a case-by-case basis.

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

Scottish Government expenditure is allocated across portfolios to various sectors, including the third sector, to improve a wide range of outcomes. Spending is not all specifically classified as to whether or not it is allocated to third-sector organisations to deliver services. Consequently the figures requested are not available.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information at this level of detail. Latest published Scottish Government annual estimates on demolitions from 1999-00 up to the year 2020-21 are available on the Housing statistics: Conversions and demolitions webpage. This information is provided by local authorities but does not include a breakdown by houses or flats.

Note that these estimates are not considered comprehensive. Estimates of demolitions of local authority housing are thought to be generally accurate, however local authorities differ in their ability to provide comprehensive estimates of demolitions of private sector and housing association homes. As such, these estimates should be considered as the minimum level of demolition activity in Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on local authority expenditure on the provision of temporary accommodation to households experiencing homelessness. This information would need to be requested from each local authority directly.

The majority of homelessness funding since 1999 has been provided to local authorities through the annual local government finance settlement, which is £13.2 billion in 2023-24. Local authorities decide how best to use this resource to prevent and respond to homelessness on the basis of local needs and priorities, including the provision of temporary accommodation. This has been supplemented in recent years by £5.5 million from the Scottish Government’s health and housing budgets for the Housing First pathfinder and identifiable resource as follows:

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Provision of school libraries, which deliver a wide range of benefits and access to learning materials and resources for pupils, is a matter for local decision making in each local authority area.

We support the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) to deliver the School Library Improvement Fund and support Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools – A National Strategy for School Libraries in Scotland 2018-23 .

The Scottish Government does not hold that specific information. However statistics collected from local authorities includes information on housing for disabled people: Housing for Older People and People with Disabilities and the Scottish Housing Regulator also collects information on numbers of housing units for disabled people: Statistical information | Scottish Housing Regulator .

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of people with complex care needs. Along with the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, I recently wrote to all areas to encourage greater collaborative working across integration authorities and local authorities to deliver integrated housing, care and support services for people with complex care needs living in Scotland.

Social landlords in Scotland must already meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard which requires properties to be free from damp, have adequate ventilation and be suitably insulated and they must ensure any requests for repairs are carried out in a timely fashion. Compliance is monitored by the Scottish Housing Regulator. If landlords fail to comply, tenants can escalate complaints to the Scottish Public Sector Ombudsman. The latest report on the Scottish Housing Charter shows that almost 9 out of 10 social tenants are satisfied with the homes and service that their landlord provides.

The Regulator is currently working proactively with social housing providers to identify and share best practice in dealing with damp and mould and is expected to publish updated guidance shortly.