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: S6W-11543

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10188 by Shona Robison on 6 September 2022, whether those seven assessments have been finalised, and what the start dates are for the remediation of each of those buildings.

Question reference: S6T-00933

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported findings of an independent review of the cladding remediation programme that “successful delivery of the project is in doubt with major risks or issues apparent".

Question reference: S6W-10956

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10242 by Shona Robison on 7 September 2022, whether it will publish the (a) average apartment rental charges updated in line with CPI and (b) grant calculations shared with social landlords, for each year since 2017.

Question reference: S6W-10677

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10165 by Shona Robison on 19 August 2022, what (a) assessment, (b) feasibility studies and (c) survey activity it has conducted to determine the number of buildings of 11 metres and over that will require (i) assessment for and (ii) remediation of combustible cladding.

Question reference: S6W-10675

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10165 by Shona Robison on 19 August 2022, how many buildings over 11 metres it estimates are affected by combustible cladding.

Question reference: S6W-10734

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Home Owners' Support Fund Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme, what the (a) total and (b) average equity stakes taken was, and how many stakes have been taken, in each year of operation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10239 on‎ 7 September 2022 which shows there has been no spend under Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) during the last six years. The most recent MTSE application was in 2015. The table below shows the total and average spend under MTSE and the number of MTSE cases that settled between 2010-11 and 2015-16.

Mortgage to Shared Equity
	Total Spend (£m)	Average Spend (£m)	No. of Cases
2010-11	0.166	0.033	6
2011-12	0.668	0.022	3
2012-13	0.354	0.039	9
2013-14	0.237	0.040	6
2014-15	0.259	0.032	8
2015-16	0.033	0.033	1

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

Question reference: S6W-10733

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Home Owners' Support Fund Mortgage to Rent scheme, what the (a) total and (b) average purchase expenditure was, and how many purchases have been made under the scheme, in each year of operation.

Under the Mortgage to Rent scheme, the Scottish Government subsidise up to 60% of the property value. The total grant includes the purchase subsidy and the cost of repairs required to bring the property up to the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Further details on how subsidies are calculated can be found in the linked guidance HOSFGN/005 . The following table shows the total and average subsidy paid by the Scottish Government to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) for each year of operation of Mortgage to Rent.

Mortgage to Rent
Financial Year	Total Subsidy Expenditure (£m)	Average Subsidy Expenditure (£m)	No. of Homes Purchased
2008-09	15.226	0.065	233
2009-10	19.600	0.060	303
2010-11	20.097	0.052	374
2011-12	14.500	0.041	325
2012-13	9.871	0.035	288
2013-14	8.274	0.031	228
2014-15	5.661	0.029	192
2015-16	3.079	0.038	80
2016-17	2.980	0.046	65
2017-18	1.127	0.029	39
2018-19	1.536	0.040	32
2019-20	1.191	0.058	28
2020-21	0.303	0.044	8
2021-22	Figures will be published shortly

Figures for 2021-22 will be published shortly.

Question reference: S6W-10762

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the third iteration of the High Rise Inventory (HRI) data set as discussed at the June 2022 meeting of Building and Fire Safety Working Group, whether officials have provided further advice to ministers and developed communications on the reasoning for the pause to the HRI; if so, whether ministers have considered that advice; if so, what the outcome was of that consideration, and when a final ministerial decision will be publicised.

The HRI is a central source of information on key aspects of the construction and fire safety features of high rise domestic blocks; this information was not previously collected or published prior to 2020. The second report was published on 8 November 2021 and there were minimal changes to the inventory following a further year of data collection. The frequency of further data collection is currently under review. It is likely that this data will be integrated within a Register of Safe Buildings, which is being created as part of the Cladding Remediation Programme.

Question reference: S6W-10678

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government on 12 May 2022 on cladding remediation, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding funding for the removal of combustible materials in Scotland, and on what dates any such discussions were held.

Officials are engaged in regular discussion with Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities colleagues on a number of matters including the block grant expenditure and the possibility of further funding for cladding remediation. The Inter Ministerial Group, which last met in May this year, agreed that official level engagement on areas of policy of mutual interest on cladding safety would be increased. The next Inter Ministerial Group will meet again in Autumn where matters of building and fire safety and finance will be discussed.

Question reference: S6W-10634

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to deliver the first half of its affordable housing programme, including at least 38,500 homes for social rent, by 2026-27, as first outlined in Housing to 2040 and expanded in the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Shared Policy Programme.

Housing to 2040 outlined that we would focus the first five years (up to 2026-27) on delivering 50,000 homes and the latter five years (up to 2031-32) on delivering a further 50,000 homes. The overall target includes at least 70% for social rent to be delivered by 2032. The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party - Shared Policy Programme increased that target to 110,000 affordable homes, but did not set a specific revised mid-point target.

We will carry out a review at the mid-point of this target period to assess if plans should continue unchanged or be adapted. This will be important to support local authorities, who are key in this process and currently plan for housing through their Local Housing Strategies on a five-yearly cycle.