Chamber and committees

Chapter 3.1 of the paper Housing and Social Security: follow-up paper on Welfare Reform, contains an analysis of the impact of the UK Government’s freeze to local housing allowance (LHA) rates, and is available on the Scottish Government’s website at the following location: https://www.gov.scot/publications/annual-report-welfare-reform-follow-up-paper-housing-social-security/pages/4/ .

It contains tables which set out the portion of the actual rental market in each area that each LHA rate (including the shared accommodation rate) can access and the difference in cash terms (per week) between the LHA rate and a property at the thirtieth percentile of the rate.

The Scottish Government National Eyecare Workstream is working closely with Health Boards across Scotland to ensure that patients referred for cataract surgery get the appropriate treatment they need.

Processes are in place to ensure that only those patients for whom surgery is appropriate and who are willing to be considered for surgery, are referred for such treatment. Existing patient information leaflets are being updated to ensure that comprehensive information is available so that patients can make informed decisions about surgery. Additional consultations with an optometrist in primary care are also available to allow patient to discuss further and reflect on whether they wish to be referred for cataract surgery.

All patients referred for surgery are triaged and, if appropriate, are pre-assessed by the multi-disciplinary team in hospital eye services and once patients have undergone diagnostic tests, the decision to proceed to surgery is undertaken in collaboration with the ophthalmologist.

Ensuring that only those patients who need and are willing to undergo cataract surgery are referred for such procedures prevents avoidable referrals and patients travelling unnecessary to hospital.

This information on specific procedures are not held centrally.

The following tables provide the median for speciality ophthalmology waiting times for the quarters ending September and December 2018 (inpatient and day case from referral date) and new inpatients. This data also includes cataract operations.

Table 1: Inpatient and Day Case median wait time (days) from referral date for the specialty Ophthalmology

The Ending Homelessness Together: High Level Action Plan, published jointly by the Scottish Government and COSLA in November 2018, sets out a five year plan for how national and local government, with third sector partners will work to prevent homelessness in the first place and to address people’s needs quickly when homelessness does happen.

Included in the Action Plan is a commitment to ensuring that our legislative framework supports a shift to prevention right across the system in Scotland. We also state our intention to work with other partners to develop a new duty on local authorities, wider public bodies and delivery partners for the prevention of homelessness. The Action Plan is clear that this is a significant change, which will require careful analysis and planning to ensure that any new duty does not undermine the strengths of existing rights and work on prevention. Part of that analysis will be to review prevention duties in place in the UK and elsewhere and we will set out a timetable for our plans later this year.

As indicated in our Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, published on 27 November 2018, during 2019 we are committed to reviewing the evidence and identifying the timetable and process for the design and implementation of preventative pathways for each group at high risk of homelessness, including those who have experienced domestic violence and people with experience of the care system or on leaving the care system. Through 2020-23, pathways will be developed and implemented with consideration of the groups at highest risk of rough sleeping and the highest proportion of people who become homeless. We will target our efforts in accordance with evidence, seeking to develop and share good practice that already exists.

All 32 local authorities have submitted first iterations of their rapid rehousing transition plans. Officials are currently in the process of reviewing the plans to provide individual tailored feedback to local authorities. Local authorities will publish their rapid rehousing transition plans following approval at the relevant council committee.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of all types of buildings as part of Energy Efficient Scotland which sets our 20 year programme to transform all types of buildings in Scotland so that they are warmer, greener and more efficient. https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/05/1462 Our aim is that all homes achieve an EPC C by 2040 (where technically feasible and cost effective).

There are a range of improvements that can be made to tenemental properties in conservation areas that can improve the EPC ratings. Householders looking to make improvements can contact the Home Energy Scotland advice line on 0808 808 2282 where they can speak to a trained advisor with knowledge and expertise of tenemental properties including those in conservation areas.

Our Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes (HEEPS: ABS) which are designed and delivered by Local Authorities, in conjunction with utility companies and local delivery partners, target fuel poor areas to provide energy efficiency measures to a large number of Scottish households and help reduce fuel poverty. In Glasgow between 2013-14 and 2017-18 a total of £27,790,820 has been spent through this scheme.

The projects within the Glasgow City Region Deal are for the relevant local partners to develop and deliver. The Glasgow Airport Access Project is being taken forward by Glasgow and Renfrewshire Councils. The latest advice from the Airport Access project team was discussed and accepted at the Airport Access Executive Steering Group which I chaired on 30 January. This was for the Glasgow Airport Access Project team to progress the Outline Business Case for a Personalised Rapid Transit option. The Group, which includes the Leaders of both Councils and representatives from Glasgow Airport, supported this. This was therefore not a decision taken by the Scottish Government.

We recognise that travel demand will change in the future, this is why transport forecasting takes place at the national and regional level. Transport Scotland have worked closely with Network Rail and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to develop transport demand forecasts for the region which are used to help inform future transport investment decisions. The consultant team working on the Glasgow City Region Deal projects, including the Glasgow Airport Access Project, have been provided with access to this information to inform the business case review and development work. The South Glasgow Capacity Stud, undertaken by Transport Scotland to inform planning of future rail enhancements to the networks using Glasgow Central Station, also accounts for future passenger growth.

The projects within the Glasgow City Region Deal are for the relevant local partners to develop and deliver. The Glasgow Airport Access Project is being taken forward by Glasgow and Renfrewshire Councils. The identification of projects within the Deal and decisions on whether to proceed are matters for the Glasgow City Region Deal Cabinet to decide, subject to appropriate business case development and normal statutory process. Costing for the options considered to improve access to Glasgow Airport are currently being updated by the project team.

Transport Scotland and Network Rail will continue to work collaboratively with the project team, as key stakeholders for any rail or motorway network based options, to explore surface access improvements at Glasgow Airport and the surrounding development areas. The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson MSP, chaired the Executive Steering Group in January, which was a group set up to provide strategic direction with regard to any rail based solution, recognising the challenges and constraints to delivery.

The Scottish Government has committed £500 million of funding to the Glasgow City Region Deal as part of its £1.13 Billion Infrastructure Fund. Therefore the Councils involved in the project are in the fortunate position of being able to fund a range of potential improvements that may facilitate improved access at Glasgow Airport as part of the City Region Deal.