Chamber and committees

The table showing (a) the number of council homes delivered from April 2009 to end September 2020 by local authority area, has been placed in SPICe under BIB number 62289.

The current council house delivery programme did not begin until 2009-10. Published figures relating to council house delivery between 2007-08 and 2008-09 indicate that 364 new build council homes were completed. However, these homes did not receive funding from the Scottish Government. Specific local authority area, detail regarding these homes, can be found in the table Local Authority Starts and Completions under the following link:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/

The vast majority of the council homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme from 2009 are for social rent, with 32 delivered for shared equity over that period.

The table showing (b) the number of housing association homes delivered since April 2007 to end September 2020 by local authority area, has been placed in SPICe under BIB number 62289.

Housing Association homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme include homes for; social rent, shared equity and mid-market rent.

The next set of quarterly affordable housing statistics (October to December 2020) are due to be published on the 23rd of March 2021 as part of the Housing Statistics Quarterly Update.

The table showing the number of homes for social rent, other affordable rent and affordable home ownership delivered from April 2007 to end September 2020 by local authority area has been placed in SPICe under BIB number 62269.

The next set of quarterly affordable housing statistics (October to December 2020) are due to be published on 23 March 2021 as part of the Housing Statistics Quarterly Update.

Official statistics on the delivery of affordable homes can be found at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-scotland-quarterly-update/

The following is a link to the Affordable Housing excel tables:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/

The following table shows the number of affordable homes delivered in each year and a comparison of affordable homes delivered for Scotland, England and Wales as a rate per 10,000 population. Numbers of homes include new build, off the shelf purchases and rehabilitations.

NHS Lothian have now received the final validation reports for the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People remedial works and they are all satisfactory.

I am therefore pleased to confirm that NHS Lothian will proceed with the migration of outpatients in the week commencing 22 March, this migration plan has been designed in collaboration with the support of medical, nursing and support services such as Laboratories, Radiology and Theatres.

This is the final phase of the plan and from that date, all relevant clinical services will be delivered from the new hospital.

I want to record my thanks to all those involved in delivering a project that has resulted in a safe hospital for the patients, families and staff of NHS Lothian.

In each year since 2016-17, Scottish spending per person on enterprise and economic development has been higher than that in England and Wales. The following table the latest figures, taken from HM Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis publication.

Spend per person on enterprise and economic development (£)

The Scottish Government has today published its Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy for consultation. The consultation will run until 30 April and can be accessed at https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/heat-in-buildings-strategy/

This draft Heat in Buildings Strategy updates the 2018 Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map and the 2015 Heat Policy Statement. It expands on the policies and proposals set out in the Buildings chapter of our Climate Change Plan Update, published in December 2020, and sets out the action needed to reduce emissions from our homes and buildings to zero by 2045 and to eliminate poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty.

Alongside the draft Heat in Buildings Strategy we are consulting on a New Build Heat Standard, Scottish skills requirements for heat and energy efficiency, and the future development of the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme.

Kevin Stewart and I have also written to the Conveners of the Local Government and Communities and the Economy, Energy and Fair Work committees. The Government looks forward to engaging with all interested parties on this important issue.

The Scottish Government have committed an additional £791.9 million in COVID related funding to support local authority services, including the estimated consequentials of £90 million for a lost income scheme. The following table includes £607.1 million of that funding with local authorities receiving their fair share of a further £184.8 million which is currently undistributed but will be allocated following parliamentary approval.

Fair Start Scotland (FSS) is Scotland’s flagship devolved employability support service, which helps those further removed from the labour market to find and stay in work.

Today we have published the second Fair Start Scotland Annual Report. It gives an overview of progress throughout 2019-20, highlighting how the service has matured in the last year, including improvements in building effective local partnerships to deliver support successfully to a broader range of participants. It is available from SPICe at SG/2020/245.

We are also publishing Fair Start Scotland Evaluation Report 3: Overview of year 2. This is the third FSS evaluation report, and details the research that supports the second year of service delivery up to 31 March 2020. The report includes findings from a telephone survey of over 1000 participants; local area case studies; feedback from the Scottish Government Social Security Experience Panel and analysis of management information on participants’ outcomes. The report will be available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781800042322

The Annual Report and evaluation findings demonstrate how Fair Start Scotland continues to make a difference to participants, employers and communities, whilst also highlighting the challenges we face in the coming year from the economic impacts of Covid-19 and forthcoming EU Exit.

These challenges are likely to have a profound and lasting impact on FSS delivery and our ambitions. As I reported in September, it is unlikely that we will to meet our ambition to support 38,000 people by 31 March 2021. However, we will continue to work with FSS Service Providers and partners to promote the service, ensuring that those who are eligible and would benefit from Fair Start Scotland support, are able to do so.

Through our “test and learn” approach we will continue to make improvements to the service, working closely with our partners and participants to ensure they continue to receive a quality, tailored service with dignity and respect at the centre of their support.

I announced in July that we will extend Fair Start Scotland for a further two years until 31 March 2023, as part of our COVID-19 economic recovery plans. By continuing to invest in this service, we will allow more people to participate and ensure support is in place for those who need it most.

We will continue to focus on working in partnership with local government and the third sector, to deliver our ambition that no one is left behind. This will help us to realise our vision for locally integrated and flexible employability support, that both delivers for individuals and provides value for money.

Fair Start Scotland (FSS), Scotland’s devolved employment support service, helps those who are further removed from the labour market to find and stay in work. The service was launched in April 2018 with an ambition of supporting 38,000 people by 31 March 2021. Statistics published on 26 August 2020 show that by the end of June 2020, 24,300 people had started on the service, 64% of the overall ambition. Of those who started on the service, 65% had a long term health condition and 47% reported having a disability. The statistics also show the significant early impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on engagement with FSS services, as both referrals and starts decreased (by 39% and 25% respectively) compared to the same period (April-June) in 2019.

Referrals to FSS since its launch have mainly come from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). During the period March to June this year, DWP suspended referrals to refocus their workforce on processing the unprecedented volume of Universal Credit claims made during lockdown (DWP statistics show 3.2 million claims were made between 16 March and 23 June 2020). All FSS referrals during this period were generated by FSS Providers via digital platforms and social media. Providers have also been mindful of the particular needs of their more vulnerable participants during lockdown, when many were shielding or had significant concerns about engaging with services due to their health conditions, disabilities or personal circumstances. The ‘pause’ on DWP referrals, along with lockdown restrictions on face to face interactions, have therefore had an impact on FSS service delivery.

In response to the pandemic, the Scottish Government have introduced flexibilities in service delivery along with financial measures to sustain Providers and safeguard support for participants. Providers continue to engage and support participants regularly by telephone and online. In line with our ‘test and learn’ approach, we are working with Providers to continuously improve FSS service delivery, to support the most vulnerable and respond quickly and effectively to any further COVID-19 and economic impacts. As part of our COVID-19 economic recovery package, I announced on 16 July 2020 that the service has been extended for a further two years until 31 March 2023, allowing more people to participate and ensuring support is in place for those who need it most.

Despite the service performing well so far, ongoing economic and labour market uncertainty along with the threat of further local lockdowns are likely to have a profound and long lasting impact on FSS performance. It is therefore likely that we will not meet our ambition to support 38,000 people by 31 March 2021. However, we will continue to work with FSS Providers and partners to promote and improve the service to ensure that those who are eligible and would benefit from Fair Start Scotland support, are able to do so.