Chamber and committees

Details on the application process and eligibility criteria for the Open Market Share Equity Scheme (OMSE) can be found in our administrative procedures: https://www.gov.scot/publications/open-market-shared-equity-omse-administrative-procedures-2020/ .

The following table shows a breakdown of the spend for the Open Marked Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) in each financial year:

Due to wider funding constraints, we have operated the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) with a reduced budget in 2024-25.

Following extremely high demand in June 2024 and in order to ensure that we settle all properties within budget, we have paused new applications from 19 July 2024 and will review remaining budget allocations in the coming months.

The scheme is likely to reopen when current passports expire and/or are withdrawn making funding available for reallocation.

The establishment of the National Acquisition Programme (NAP), was backed by investment of at least £60 million from local authority resource planning assumptions within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2023-24 to help to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. A total of £83.146 million was spent through the National Acquisition Programme in 2023-2024. The NAP enables local authorities and registered social landlords to acquire properties of the right types, in the right places, in line with their strategic priorities.

The following table provides a breakdown of how much each grant applicant received and the corresponding percentage of this spend when compared to the total spend figure of £83.146 million.

This commitment will be funded through reprioritisation of the existing overall Scottish budget, with a number of areas currently being reviewed. This will be reflected through the normal parliamentary budget review and approval process.

The following table provides a breakdown of how many applications from (a) registered social landlords and (b) local authorities have been (i) received and (ii) approved for the National Acquisition Plan in total for 2023-2024. The table also provides a breakdown of whether approvals were for second hand acquisitions or new build off the shelf purchases from developers.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on whether purchases were (i) open market purchases with vacant possession, (ii) off-market purchases with vacant possession, (iii) purchases where an owner-occupier cannot afford the required maintenance or refurbishment of their home and wishes to sell and remain in the home as a tenant in the social rented sector and (v) properties from landlords leaving the private rented sector with a tenant in situ. This level of detail would not necessarily be known at approval stage given many of the homes would not yet have come to market or been identified.

The commitment announced on 26 April will provide up to £40 million in 2024-2025, with an equivalent commitment in 2025-2026 to be confirmed subject to the standard budget setting processes.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of applications which have been earmarked to be used for temporary accommodation. It is for grant applicants to allocate the properties acquired.

In relation to the number of applications which have been (a) received and (b) approved for the National Acquisition Programme I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27110 on 14 May 2024.

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

In 2023-2024 a total of £83.146 million was spent and a total of 1,498 affordable homes were delivered through the National Acquisition Programme (NAP). The following table provides a breakdown of these figures by local authority area.

Due to the nature of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), projects may draw down grant across multiple financial years. Spend, therefore, does not necessarily directly correlate to the number of homes delivered in the same financial year, as homes are only recorded as complete once a project record has fully completed.

Of the £83.146 million spent a total of £9.587 million was spent on projects to be initially used by Ukrainian displaced persons and later returned to be used within the wider social housing supply after a period of up to 3 years.

The Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 amended regulation 8 of the building regulations so that "highly combustible metal composite material" panels, combustible cladding and combustible insulation can no longer be used for new building work captured in the scope of the ban.