Chamber and committees

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 governs pitch agreements for permanent residential mobile home sites. It requires that the site owner provides a prospective resident with a copy of the Written Statement setting out the rights and responsibilities of both parties alongside other relevant information.

The Scottish Government published guidance (https://www.gov.scot/publications/guide-mobile-home-owners-scotland/) for mobile home owners in Scotland which explains the rights and responsibilities of residents of mobile homes sites.

The Scottish Government also publishes website information for mobile homes site residents and owners at https://www.mygov.scot/browse/housing-local-services/mobile-homes, which is in the process of being updated, in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

The Law Society of Scotland provides information at https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/professional-support/legal-aid/ on how to access legal aid and how to identify a solicitor who has knowledge of their area.

Scottish Government officials have met with the Law Society of Scotland, along with the Scottish Confederation of Park Home Residents Associations, to discuss some of the difficulties residents have encountered in seeking to find a solicitor.

Local authorities are the licensing authority for permanent residential mobile home sites in their area and are responsible for setting the licence conditions and enforcing them if breached.

To ensure a degree of consistency, under section 5(6) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, the Scottish Government publishes guidance (https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-local-authorities-licensing-system-mobile-homes-sites-permanent-residents/) to local authorities on how to operate the licencing system effectively. This includes a set of model standards (https://www.gov.scot/publications/model-standards-residential-mobile-home-site-licences/) for sites which covers issues such as site safety and maintenance, supply of utilities, roads, gateways and traffic routes as well as pedestrian routes. Different organisations have responsibility for enforcing safety standards, depending on the service provided.

I recognise many of the challenges faced by the third sector and continue to work with my officials to champion the voice of the Sector across Government and ensure that the vital work of third sector organisations is well understood and valued as part of a thriving Scottish society.

The Scottish Government news release Fairer funding for charities - gov.scot provides details of the announcement on 5 February 2025 of the new Fairer Funding multi-year funding pilot.

In his address to third sector organisations at The Gathering, the First Minister stated that this signalled a clear direction of travel to increasing the number of multi-year funding agreements across the third sector.

The Pilot is part of a package of policy measures under the Fairer Funding heading, which also includes improvements to the grant making process, more timely notifications, rationalising reporting requirements and improving grant conditions.

Local authorities are the licensing authority for permanent residential mobile home sites in their area and are responsible for setting the licence conditions and enforcing them if breached.

To ensure a degree of consistency, under section 5(6) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, the Scottish Government publishes guidance (https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-local-authorities-licensing-system-mobile-homes-sites-permanent-residents/) to local authorities on how to operate the licencing system effectively. This includes a set of model standards (https://www.gov.scot/publications/model-standards-residential-mobile-home-site-licences/) for sites which covers issues such as site safety and maintenance, supply of utilities, roads, gateways and traffic routes as well as pedestrian routes. Different organisations have responsibility for enforcing the range of regulations for different services on sites.

Pitch agreements for permanent residential mobile home sites are regulated by the Mobile Homes Act 1983 which sets out the rights and responsibilities of site owners and mobile home owners. Disputes under the Mobile Homes Act 1983 are heard by the Sheriff Court.

The Scottish Government intends to refresh and modernise the School Premises Regulations (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) to ensure that they meet the needs of pupils and schools in Scotland. The Scottish Government still intends to re-consult this year on the Regulations.

Scottish Government officials are taking steps to engage with relevant stakeholders and will be reaching out to further interested parties.

The solar panels installed on core Scottish Government buildings have an output warranty of 25 years. The panels will continue to operate past 25 years, however their output will be lower than new panels. Maintenance costs are included in the overall building maintenance costs and cannot be disaggregated. The cost of replacing the panels at the end of their life cannot be estimated due to the timescales involved.

Scottish Government core owned estate has six buildings with solar panels installed.

They are in the following local authority areas:

The City of Edinburgh Council – 3 buildings (Victoria Quay, St Andrews House, SASA)

Scottish Borders Council – 1 building (Tweedbank)

Aberdeenshire Council – 1 building (Thainstone)

Argyll and Bute – 1 building (Cameron House, Oban)

The Scottish Government does not hold data on solar panels installed on buildings owned or occupied by its agencies or other public bodies.

Scottish Government officials have continued to engage with the Scottish Council of Independent Schools and Local Authorities on the impact of the removal of the VAT exemption for independent school fees on independent schools, their pupils, families and the state sector in Scotland.

Data on how much each local authority spends on supply teachers is not held or collected by central government.

Data on local authority expenditure on teachers is available from the Local Government Financial statistics data collection. The latest figures are available from LFR01 at Scottish local government finance statistics 2023-24.