- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answer expected on 15 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) the total cost to date has been, (b) the total budgeted cost is, and (c) the average monthly cost is of "waking watch" measures implemented in any buildings affected by unsafe cladding, and how much of these costs have been met directly by the Scottish Government.
Answer
Answer expected on 15 July 2026
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 17 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out of the construction sector’s capacity to deliver housing at scale, including what estimate it has made of the number of firms capable of delivering developments of (a) 50 to 99 and (b) 100 or more homes, and how this has changed over the last decade.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the role of developers of all sizes in contributing to new housing delivery, including both large-scale housebuilders and small and medium-sized enterprise developers.
More broadly, we continue to engage with the Construction Leadership Forum’s Skills and Workforce Group as they consider potential opportunities for government and industry to work together even more to sustain and enhance a skilled and competent workforce for Scotland, and we are working to further improve both access to the Construction Industry from Further Education and apprenticeship retention.
Through the establishment of the new national housing agency, More Homes Scotland, we will take a strategic, system-wide approach to increasing housing delivery, working with developers and others to help deliver the homes that Scotland needs.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 16 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of trends in productivity in Scotland’s construction sector, including what information it holds on output per (a) worker and (b) firm, and what analysis it has made of the relationship between growth in the number of construction businesses and overall sector output.
Answer
The Scottish Government monitors productivity trends in Scotland’s construction sector using a range of sources, including data published by the Office for National Statistics and Scottish Government publications.
- Information on output per job is available from the Scottish Annual Business Statistics (SABS), which includes estimates of Gross Value Added (GVA) per head for the construction sector. These provide a proxy for output per job, noting that they are not strictly measures of output per worker.
- The Scottish Government also publishes labour productivity estimates, including GVA per hour worked and GVA per job, at Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) section level, including construction. These statistics are currently designated as official statistics in development, reflecting data quality considerations relating to underlying labour market survey sources, and no construction-specific analysis has been undertaken using these measures.
- Information on the number of construction enterprises is available from the Businesses in Scotland publication. While this shows changes in the number of firms over time, the Scottish Government has not undertaken specific analysis of the relationship between the number of construction businesses and overall sector output, and a consistent measure of output per firm is not held.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 16 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out of the number of apprenticeships and training places in construction that are required to meet projected workforce demands, and how the current provision compares with this, including what assessment it has made of any shortfall.
Answer
Sectoral Skills Assessments (SSAs), produced by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in partnership with stakeholders, provide a consistent evidence base to inform strategic skills investment planning and understanding of workforce demand and supply across sectors. The most recent Construction SSA was published in October 2025.
Skills Development Scotland routinely assesses demand for apprenticeships throughout the operational year. Modern Apprenticeship places are allocated in line with employer and training provider demand, balanced against Scottish Government priorities. Construction is a priority sector, and Modern Apprenticeship starts in construction frameworks increased in 2025-26 compared to the previous year.
In addition, the Scottish Government has introduced a new skills planning model, being developed with partners, to ensure the post-school education and skills system is more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills priorities. Construction has been identified as an early area of focus within this model, reflecting current and emerging skills needs and its alignment with national policy priorities.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to recycle or reinvest the financial returns generated through previous or current Help to Buy schemes, including any profits or equity stakes, into the delivery of additional housing supply, and, if so, how these funds will be allocated.
Answer
Budgets are set annually by the Scottish Parliament: The Scottish Budget Process | Scottish Parliament Website
The Scottish Budget incorporates all money expected to be received from the Barnett determined block grant, borrowing, taxes raised in Scotland and other sources of income including the expected income from the sale of shared equity, including from Help to Buy schemes. This anticipated income then provides the framework for the spending decisions made by Scottish Ministers and set out in the Scottish budget which is then scrutinised voted on by the Scottish parliament.
Income received from Help to Buy Scotland has been, and will continue to be used, to fund the spending decisions made by Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Budget 2026 to 2027 includes anticipated Financial Transaction (FT) Receipts of £80 million which support the Affordable Housing Supply Programme FT budget of £163.4 million. Please refer to the Housing Tab in the supporting Level 4 Workbooks 2026-27 Supporting documents - Scottish Budget 2026 to 2027 - gov.scot.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether rent increase notices issued through online document portals meet the legal requirements for valid service under section 22 of the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 and the Private Residential Tenancies (Prescribed Notices and Forms) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.
Answer
There are no specific requirements under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 or Regulations for how a rent increase notice is to be served.
The Scottish Government Model Tenancy Agreement includes a section for landlords and tenants to agree how they will communicate during the tenancy including how notices will be served.
Tenants should check their tenancy agreement to see what it says about how notices will be sent during the tenancy.
If an online document portal is to be used by a landlord as a way of emailing the rent increase notice, the landlord should explain this in the tenancy agreement and the tenant should have clear instruction as to how to access and use the online document portal.
If a landlord or tenant is unsure of their legal rights and duties under the tenancy agreement they should seek independent legal advice.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out of the size of the construction workforce required to meet its housing targets, including estimates of (a) total workforce demand, (b) current workforce supply and (c) any projected shortfall over the next five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government draws on a range of evidence to inform its understanding of construction workforce requirements, including Skills Development Scotland’s Sectoral Skills Assessments, which provide an overview of workforce demand and supply across the construction sector.
We also engage regularly with a broad range of partners to ensure the skills system is responsive to the needs of the construction sector and supports delivery of Scotland’s housing priorities. This includes key stakeholder representative bodies, such as Homes for Scotland, to ensure we are aware of current and emerging issues affecting the construction workforce.
Given the number of variables influencing the pace, scale and delivery of housing projects, including market conditions, planning considerations and investment decisions, it is not however possible to produce a precise estimate of total workforce demand, current supply or any projected shortfall over a five-year period.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has carried out of the gap between planned and deliverable housing supply, and what analysis it has made of the extent to which construction sector capacity, including labour availability, firm size and contractor capability, represents a limiting factor in meeting housing targets.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises that construction sector capacity, including the availability of labour, as well as the capability and capacity of firms, is key to the delivery of housing targets.
We engage regularly with local authorities who have responsibility for assessing local housing requirements and setting out delivery priorities in their Strategic Housing Investment Plans. We also engage broadly with registered social landlords who are responsible for procuring construction activity, and this engagement informs our understanding of strategic and operational delivery challenges including those related to construction sector capacity.
We have not produced a single estimate of the gap between planned and deliverable housing supply. This is due to the wide range of variables that affect delivery, including market conditions, supply chain pressures, planning factors and investment decisions.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what estimates or modelling it has undertaken of the total financial returns generated from Help to Buy schemes it has previously operated, including equity repayments or profits, and what projections it has made of any future returns.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not undertaken any modelling of the total financial returns generated from Help to Buy schemes it has previously operated.
The Scottish Government has previously published information on the return made on the Scottish Government’s investment through Help to Buy (HTB) (Scotland) from the launch of the scheme in September 2013 to the end of March 2020.
Help+to+Buy+%28Scotland%29+Return+Report+to+2020.pdf
The receipts from shared equity are driven by the actions of the homeowner and not by Government, therefore it is difficult to make projections regarding the timing of future returns. Historic trends are used to inform forecasting and planning.
The annual Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts include estimates of the fair value of Housing Shared equity held by the Scottish Government as at 31 March. This includes equity held from Help to Buy schemes, Open Market Shared Equity, New Supply Shared Equity and First Home Fund, the value is modelled using the House price index to estimate the change in property value.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with COSLA regarding the pay negotiations for 2026-27.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2026
