Chamber and committees

The following table shows a breakdown of breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order from 2017-18 to 2020-21 by local authority. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5 for disclosure purposes.

Data on temporary accommodation taken from the HL3 data collection is only available for all local authorities from 2017-18. Although some local authorities have provided data prior to this, there is not enough to provide a meaningful national picture and this data has not been subject to the rigorous quality assurance procedures required to finalise the data to official statistics standards.

Important:

Over the 2020-21 reporting period i) there was a significant change to legislation and ii) temporary exceptions were put in place at very short notice in response to COVID-19, both of which have had considerable impacts on the data. The urgency of having to adapt to the revised legislation without any specific guidance means that local authorities have reported inconsistencies in the information captured regarding breaches which is likely to affect comparability. For these reasons, these figures should be treated with caution.

Changes in legislation:

Prior to 5 May 2020, a breach was encountered when a household with a pregnant woman and/or child is in unsuitable temporary accommodation for more than 7 days. From 5 May 2020, this was extended to all households. Therefore, the total number of breaches across the year 2020/21 will include those based on both old and new legislation.

Covid-19 exceptions:

Temporary exceptions were put in place to allow local authorities to provide households with accommodation in response to COVID-19.

The legislation noted that a placement was not considered unsuitable if:

• a person in the household has symptoms of coronavirus and the household requires to isolate; or
• the accommodation is required to provide temporary accommodation to ensure that a distance of 2 metres can be maintained between a member of the household and a person who is not a member of the household in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus; or
• the local authority is unable to place the household in suitable accommodation as a result of the impacts of coronavirus on temporary accommodation supply in the area, provided that where a household includes a child or a pregnant woman the household is not placed in unsuitable accommodation for more than 7 days.

(To note: the third of these only came into effect on 30th September 2020, halfway through the 2020-21 reporting period.)

A household placed in unsuitable accommodation for longer than 7 days where an exception did not apply must still be recorded as a breach.

Number of breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order, by local authority: 2017-18 – 2021-2020

We have not made an assessment of this kind. Scottish Ministers’ view, as set out in our Climate Change Plan update, is that renewables, carbon capture technologies, storage, system flexibility and greater energy efficiency comprise a more efficient and economic means of meeting Scotland’s energy needs and emission reduction targets than investment in new large nuclear stations.

We are committed to taking action to ensure the housing market operates more fairly across Scotland, providing affordable housing options and choices in all communities. Housing to 2040 , Scotland’s vision for housing to 2040, includes a commitment that before the end of this year, we will have undertaken an analysis of what is required to gather more comprehensive data on the Scottish private rented sector (PRS), setting out our intentions for mechanisms by the end of 2021.

An analysis of what is required in order to collect more comprehensive data on the PRS will underpin our approach. We are considering all options, including current or potential PRS data systems.

As set out in Housing to 2040, it is our intention to explore all possible solutions afresh, including the development of any new systems, with a view to seeking stakeholder views as part of a consultation on our wider Rented Sector Strategy in 2022.

The review of the operation of the Rural and Islands Housing Fund has been completed and in response to the questions asked (a) The Scottish Government engaged with Local Authorities, Registered Social Landlords, funding scheme participants, a rural housing sounding board who had helped inform the original guidance of the Rural and Islands Housing Fund and other stakeholders with an interest in rural and island housing. There was overwhelming support that the fund should continue, (b) we are currently preparing a report summarising the findings of the engagement with stakeholders and (c) the report will be published shortly.

Due to the pandemic, the work to address the recommendations published by the Parliamentary Working Group was postponed. In January this year a revised timetable was published on the Scottish Government website and the revised timetable can be accessed via this link Tenement Maintenance Timetable .

It is vital that waste is managed responsibly and sustainably, and we want to be able to manage more of our own waste within Scotland. A large majority of Scotland’s waste is managed within Scotland, but around 14% is currently processed elsewhere, representing a lost economic opportunity. Our Deposit Return Scheme will significantly increase the quantity and quality of in-scope materials recycled and reduce litter. It would also create economic opportunities, such as attracting investment into reprocessing capacity in Scotland, on which we are actively working with potential investors on.

While waste export legislation is a matter for the UK Government, we will continue to work closely with them to ensure that all waste is managed responsibly and sustainably. We are working with the other governments of the UK on reform of the packaging producer responsibility system to provide greater incentives for domestic reprocessing.

SEPA routinely carry out proactive inspections at Scottish ports and loading sites to ensure compliance with the strict Waste Shipment Regulations. SEPA will continue to prioritise the regulation of plastic waste exports from Scotland.

Our commitment to tackling the climate emergency and transitioning to a net-zero society by 2045 is unwavering.

The Scottish Government is committed to review the role that incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, and are considering options to take forward this review. Parliament will be updated on plans for this in September, when we will outline a timeline for the review.

In April 2020 the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) consulted on future support for low carbon heat, proposing the Green Gas Support and Clean Heat Grant schemes as successors. The Scottish Government responded to the consultation and has separately engaged with BEIS to press the need for replacement schemes to account for particular circumstances in Scotland.

BEIS published its response on the Green Gas Support scheme and associated levy in March 2021. BEIS is yet to issue a response on the Clean Heat Grant. These schemes will provide a reduced level of support to a narrower range of non-domestic heat decarbonisation projects.

The Scottish Government has allocated almost £1.6 billion over this parliament to heat and energy efficiency, including support for non-domestic projects. We already offer a loan and cashback grant offer for SME businesses via the Energy Efficiency Business Support Service and will invest up to £400 million over the next five years in large-scale heat decarbonisation infrastructure, as well as continuing to offer low interest unsecured loans for both district heating low carbon and renewable technology projects in Scotland.

Details of the £10 million grant fund scheme - announced by the Deputy First Minister on 22 June to help tenants who have been financially impacted by the pandemic and are facing homelessness - are being developed at pace and we will provide further information on the delivery and applications process for the fund in due course.

Fishing associations with members who are hand-dive operators regularly attend the SSSWG. Our national Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG) network is also strongly represented at the SSSWG and we continue to welcome the involvement of the hand-dive sector through this network or the fishers’ relevant association.