- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 16 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government by what date the delayed document, Housing Statistics for Scotland 2020: Key Trends Summary, will be published.
Answer
The publication of the Housing Statistics for Scotland 2020: Key Trends Summary and associated Excel web tables had been initially planned for September 2020, however was subsequently delayed due to the impacts of COVID-19 on data provision and staff resourcing.
The Housing Statistics team are in the process of collecting, processing and quality assuring data returns from local authorities, covering annual data for both the delayed 2020 Key Trends publication along with more recent annual data covering the 2021 publication period. We are intending to publish a Key Trends Summary and Excel web tables containing both the 2020 and 2021 figures. The statistics will be released as soon as they are considered ready, under the guidance of the Chief Statistician. At this stage we anticipate this will be between October and December 2021.
Once there is more certainty around a publication date this will be pre-announced no later than 4 weeks in advance, in line with the Statistics Code of Practice, on the Scottish Government website: Official statistics: forthcoming publications - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Home Energy Scotland loan offers have expired during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this compares to the three financial years prior to the pandemic beginning.
Answer
The proportion of Home Energy Scotland loan offers that have expired during the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the previous three years is:
Year | Total Offers | Expired loan offers (not accepted) | Expired Committed Loan Offers (not accepted) |
2021-22 (to end June – pandemic period) | 937 | 192 (20%) | 0 (0%) |
2020-21 (pandemic period) | 2011 | 157 (8%) | 40 (2%) |
2019-20 | 1757 | 71 (4%) | 210 (12%) |
2018-19 | 1903 | 149 (8%) | 76 (4%) |
2017-18 | 1404 | 37 (3%) | 37 (3%) |
Please note the following with regard to the data:
- a higher incidence of offers has expired during the pandemic, probably due to the increase in application with the launch of the cashback scheme. The comparison is also higher as we are only half way through 2022, and applicants still have time to return their loan documents
- the timescale to claim was increased during the pandemic, therefore pre-pandemic, with the short claim time gave a greater incentive to claim the funding
- the increase in expired offers at the end of 2019/20 could be due to loan offers made shortly before, and being impacted by the pandemic.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00917 by Shona Robison on 18 June 2021, (a) how many expressions of interest were received for its Single Building Assessment programme, (b) who these expressions were from, and (c) by what date safety assessments will be carried out.
Answer
a) A total of 338 expressions of interest were received, 5 were subsequently withdrawn leaving 333.
b)Breakdown of respondents by tenure:
Respondent | Total |
Individual owner | 102 |
Owners’/residents’ organisation | 1 |
Property factor | 1 |
Private Company | 35 |
Registered private landlord | 3 |
Registered landlord | 141 |
Registered social landlord | 29 |
Individual Tenant | 17 |
Registered Social Landlord - Property Factoring Company | 2 |
No respondent given | 2 |
Total | 333 |
c) The assessment of the submitted Expressions of Interest is complete. The initial phase started on the 28 th of June when we met with the first successful applicant for a Single Building Assessment (SBA). This phase tests the practical guide to conduct external wall appraisals, inspection methods and other documented processes which includes enhanced safety assessments.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35383 by Kevin Stewart on 1 March 2021, whether changes have been made to the building standards verifier requirements regarding BS 8414 and BR 135 and, if so, when the decisions related to any changes were (a) taken and (b) implemented.
Answer
A public consultation exercise, Building standards (fire safety) - a consultation on external wall systems - Scottish Government - Citizen Space , is currently being undertaken which includes options on the role of BS 8414 (and associated BR 135).
Responses to the consultation will be used to inform the Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel 2020-21 work and final policy that will be prepared in support of any legislative changes. Any legislative changes may have an effect on ‘building standards verifier requirements’. The consultation closes in October 2021.
As an interim measure, the Scottish Government Building Standards Division have requested notification from local authority verifiers under S34 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 where BS 8414 / BR 135 and BS 9414 extended field of application assessments have been used to demonstrate compliance with the mandatory building standards. These interim measure decisions to remove reference to BS 8414 and BR 135 were taken and implemented, respectively, as follows:
(a) March 2021
(b) March/ April 2021
Additionally, pending the outcome of the review, advice on avoiding the use of MCM (category 3) was introduced into Section 2 (fire) of the Technical Handbooks in April 2021 .
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many Home Energy Scotland loan (a) applications and (b) offers it has handled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this compares to the three previous financial years.
Answer
The number of Home Energy Scotland Loan applications and offers handled during the pandemic, compared to the three previous years is:
Year | Total Applications | Total Offers |
2021-22 – to end of June | 890 | 937* |
2020-21 | 2698 | 2011 |
2019-20 | 2167 | 1757 |
2018-19 | 2511 | 1903 |
2017-18 | 2191 | 1404 |
* Loan offer numbers may exceed application numbers for a year due to overlap in processing periods ie where an application is received in March, but not offered until April.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has received regarding how material shortages and increased contractor prices in the construction sector are impacting householders redeeming Home Energy Scotland Loan offers.
Answer
No information has been formally received by Scottish Government regarding how much material shortages and increased contractor prices in the construction sector are impacting householders redeeming Home Energy Scotland Loan offers.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the total value was of the Home Energy Scotland Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan applications that have been received in each local authority area in each of the last five years, also broken down by the total value of the loan offers that (a) it subsequently made and (b) were not taken up.
Answer
The Private Rented Sector Landlord (PRSL) Loan was launched in April 2020. The following table shows the total number of applications received, the total number of offers made and the total number of expired offers. These figures represent the total number from launch to the end of June 2021, and relate to the location of the applicant.
Local Authority | Total Applications | Total Value of Applications | Total Value of Offers | Total Value of offers not taken up |
Aberdeen City Council | 6 | £25,522 | £18,572 | £- |
Aberdeen Council | 11 | £67,948 | £53,688 | £- |
Angus Council | 6 | £31,509 | £22,614 | £10,150 |
Argyll and Bute Council | 3 | £25,000 | £15,000 | £- |
City of Edinburgh Council | 31 | £180,051 | £121,361 | £6,850 |
Clackmannanshire Council | 0 | £- | £- | £- |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 0 | £- | £- | £- |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | 3 | £18,800 | £18,704 | £- |
Dundee City Council | 5 | £41,637 | £24,446 | £- |
East Ayrshire Council | 6 | £36,248 | £36,080 | £- |
East Dunbartonshire Council | 2 | £15,328 | £15,073 | £5,800 |
East Lothian Council | 3 | £17,834 | £12,500 | £- |
East Renfrewshire Council | 6 | £30,727 | £11,647 | £- |
Falkirk Council | 6 | £29,204 | £27,139 | £- |
Fife Council | 13 | £111,848 | £108,474 | £9,650 |
Glasgow City Council | 10 | £69,034 | £12,934 | £- |
Highland Council | 7 | £53,187 | £52,842 | £- |
Inverclyde Council | 1 | £2,150 | £- | £- |
Midlothian Council | 2 | £5,870 | £5,870 | £2,340 |
Moray Council | 3 | £14,500 | £14,279 | £- |
North Ayrshire Council | 1 | £2,130 | £2,015 | £- |
North Lanarkshire Council | 4 | £14,858 | £12,011 | £- |
Orkney Islands Council | 1 | £10,000 | £10,000 | £- |
Perth and Kinross Council | 4 | £23,630 | £18,507 | £- |
Renfrewshire Council | 6 | £48,909 | £13,659 | £- |
Scottish Borders Council | 4 | £45,214 | £13,205 | £- |
Shetland Islands Council | 0 | £- | £- | £- |
South Ayrshire Council | 4 | £21,106 | £20,431 | £- |
South Lanarkshire Council | 10 | £52,004 | £36,054 | £- |
Stirling Council | 2 | £28,535 | £19,848 | £15,000 |
West Dunbartonshire Council | 1 | £10,100 | £10,100 | £- |
West Lothian Council | 5 | £31,054 | £30,675 | £4,840 |
Outside Scotland* | 18 | £95,288 | £60,593 | £- |
Total | 184 | £1,159,224 | £818,319 | £54,630 |
*Outside Scotland’ relates to landlords living outwith Scotland but applying for loans for properties within Scotland.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many Home Energy Scotland Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan applications have been received in each local authority area in each of the last five years; how many loan offers it has subsequently made, and how many of these offers were not taken up.
Answer
The Private Rented Sector Landlord (PRSL) Loan was launched in April 2020. The following table shows the total number of applications received, the total number of offers made and the total number of expired offers. These figures represent the total number from launch to the end of June 2021, and relate to the location of the applicant.
Local Authority | Total Applications | Total Offers | Number of offers not taken up |
Aberdeen City Council | 6 | 5 | 0 |
Aberdeen Council | 11 | 9 | 0 |
Angus Council | 6 | 4 | 1 |
Argyll and Bute Council | 3 | 2 | 0 |
City of Edinburgh Council | 31 | 22 | 1 |
Clackmannanshire Council | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Dundee City Council | 5 | 3 | 0 |
East Ayrshire Council | 6 | 6 | 0 |
East Dunbartonshire Council | 2 | 2 | 1 |
East Lothian Council | 3 | 2 | 0 |
East Renfrewshire Council | 6 | 4 | 0 |
Falkirk Council | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Fife Council | 13 | 12 | 1 |
Glasgow City Council | 10 | 4 | 0 |
Highland Council | 7 | 7 | 0 |
Inverclyde Council | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Midlothian Council | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Moray Council | 3 | 3 | 0 |
North Ayrshire Council | 1 | 1 | 0 |
North Lanarkshire Council | 4 | 3 | 0 |
Orkney Islands Council | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Perth and Kinross Council | 4 | 3 | 0 |
Renfrewshire Council | 6 | 3 | 0 |
Scottish Borders Council | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Shetland Islands Council | 0 | 0 | 0 |
South Ayrshire Council | 4 | 4 | 0 |
South Lanarkshire Council | 10 | 8 | 0 |
Stirling Council | 2 | 2 | 1 |
West Dunbartonshire Council | 1 | 1 | 0 |
West Lothian Council | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Outside Scotland* | 18 | 12 | 0 |
Total | 184 | 141 | 7 |
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35383 by Kevin Stewart on 1 March 2021, whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to ban the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings, in light of the position taken by other UK administrations.
Answer
A public consultation exercise, Building standards (fire safety) - a consultation on external wall systems - Scottish Government - Citizen Space , is currently being undertaken which includes consideration of high risk materials in external wall systems.
Responses to the consultation will be used to inform the Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel 2020-21 work and final policy that will be prepared in support of any legislative changes in relation to high risk materials in external wall systems.
The consultation closes 08 October 2021 with the next panel meeting shortly thereafter.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many notifications the Building Standards Division has received from verifiers of building warrant applications, citing BS 8414 as a route to compliance, since the April 2021 update of the Building Standards Technical Handbooks, by a) type of building and b) local authority.
Answer
No notifications have been received since issue of the provision in April 2021.
