- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications from (a) registered social landlords and (b) local authorities have been (i) received and (ii) approved for the National Acquisition Plan in total, also broken down by the types of purchase applied for, including (i) open market purchases with vacant possession, (ii) off-market purchases with vacant possession, (iii) purchases where an owner-occupier cannot afford the required maintenance or refurbishment of their home and wishes to sell and remain in the home as a tenant in the social rented sector, (iv) off-the-shelf purchases from developers and (v) properties from landlords leaving the private rented sector with a tenant in situ.
Answer
The following table provides a breakdown of how many applications from (a) registered social landlords and (b) local authorities have been (i) received and (ii) approved for the National Acquisition Plan in total for 2023-2024. The table also provides a breakdown of whether approvals were for second hand acquisitions or new build off the shelf purchases from developers.
The Scottish Government does not hold information on whether purchases were (i) open market purchases with vacant possession, (ii) off-market purchases with vacant possession, (iii) purchases where an owner-occupier cannot afford the required maintenance or refurbishment of their home and wishes to sell and remain in the home as a tenant in the social rented sector and (v) properties from landlords leaving the private rented sector with a tenant in situ. This level of detail would not necessarily be known at approval stage given many of the homes would not yet have come to market or been identified.
Applicant | No. of Applications Received | No. of Applications Approved | No. of Second Hand Acquisition Applications Approved | No. of New Build Off the Shelf Purchases from Developer Applications Approved | Total No. of Homes Approved |
Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) | 85 | 84 | 69 | 15 | 466 |
Local Authority | 78 | 76 | 68 | 8 | 1,156 |
Total | 163 | 160 | 137 | 23 | 1,622 |
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the original funding that was allocated to the National Acquisition Plan has been distributed to each successful application, and whether it will provide an update on how much each successful applicant has spent of its distributed funding to date.
Answer
The establishment of the National Acquisition Programme (NAP), was backed by investment of at least £60 million from local authority resource planning assumptions within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2023-24 to help to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. A total of £83.146 million was spent through the National Acquisition Programme in 2023-2024. The NAP enables local authorities and registered social landlords to acquire properties of the right types, in the right places, in line with their strategic priorities.
The following table provides a breakdown of how much each grant applicant received and the corresponding percentage of this spend when compared to the total spend figure of £83.146 million.
Registered Social Landlord (RSL) | Actual Spend (£m) | Percentage of Total Spend |
Abertay Housing Association Ltd | 0.520 | 0.6% |
Angus Housing Association Ltd | 0.021 | 0.0% |
Argyll Community Housing Association | 0.174 | 0.2% |
Ark Housing Association | 0.140 | 0.2% |
Barrhead Housing Association | 0.248 | 0.3% |
Blochairn Housing Co-operative Ltd | 0.192 | 0.2% |
Caledonia Housing Association Ltd | 0.236 | 0.3% |
Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association Ltd | 0.973 | 1.2% |
Cathcart & District Housing Association Ltd | 0.605 | 0.7% |
Cloch Housing Association Ltd | 0.328 | 0.4% |
Craigdale Housing Association Ltd | 0.091 | 0.1% |
Fife Housing Association Ltd | 0.130 | 0.2% |
Fyne Homes Ltd | 0.008 | 0.01% |
Glasgow Housing Association Ltd | 0.729 | 0.9% |
Govan Housing Association Ltd | 0.184 | 0.2% |
Grampian Housing Association Ltd | 0.527 | 0.6% |
Hillcrest Homes (Scotland) Ltd | 0.261 | 0.3% |
Hjaltland Housing Association Ltd | 0.062 | 0.1% |
Irvine Housing Association | 0.080 | 0.1% |
Key Housing Association Ltd | 0.035 | 0.04% |
Kingdom Housing Association Ltd | 0.887 | 1.1% |
Knowes Housing Association Ltd | 0.240 | 0.3% |
Larkfield Housing Association Ltd | 0.179 | 0.2% |
Linthouse Housing Association Ltd | 4.767 | 5.7% |
Lochfield Park Housing Association Ltd | 0.330 | 0.4% |
Maryhill Housing Association Ltd | 2.933 | 3.5% |
New Gorbals Housing Association Ltd | 1.879 | 2.3% |
North Glasgow Housing Association | 0.243 | 0.3% |
Ochil View Housing Association Ltd | 0.320 | 0.4% |
Ore Valley Housing Association Ltd | 0.200 | 0.2% |
Paisley Housing Association Ltd | 0.060 | 0.1% |
Paragon Housing Association | 0.225 | 0.3% |
Parkhead Housing Association Ltd | 0.551 | 0.7% |
Partick Housing Association Ltd | 0.653 | 0.8% |
Provanhall Housing Association Ltd | 0.247 | 0.3% |
River Clyde Homes | 0.030 | 0.04% |
Scottish Borders Housing Association Ltd | 1.290 | 1.6% |
Shettleston Housing Association Ltd | 0.510 | 0.6% |
Southside Housing Association Ltd | 1.809 | 2.2% |
The Highland Housing Alliance | 1.424 | 1.7% |
Tollcross Housing Association Ltd | 0.202 | 0.2% |
Trust Housing Association Ltd | 1.921 | 2.3% |
Waverley Housing | 0.160 | 0.2% |
West Of Scotland Housing Association Ltd | 0.091 | 0.1% |
Whiteinch and Scotstoun Housing Association Ltd | 0.220 | 0.3% |
Williamsburgh Housing Association Ltd | 0.125 | 0.2% |
Yorkhill Housing Association Ltd | 0.833 | 1.0% |
Sub-total RSL Spend (£m) | 27.873 | 33.5% |
Local Authority | Actual Spend (£m) | Percentage of Total Spend |
Aberdeen City | 3.000 | 3.6% |
Aberdeenshire | 0.604 | 0.7% |
Angus | 1.589 | 1.9% |
City of Edinburgh | 8.462 | 10.2% |
Clackmannanshire | 1.654 | 2.0% |
East Ayrshire | 0.925 | 1.1% |
East Dunbartonshire | 2.964 | 3.6% |
East Lothian | 0.186 | 0.2% |
Falkirk | 2.925 | 3.5% |
Fife | 2.500 | 3.0% |
Midlothian | 0.195 | 0.2% |
Moray | 0.042 | 0.1% |
North Ayrshire | 2.141 | 2.6% |
North Lanarkshire | 7.972 | 9.6% |
Perth and Kinross | 1.610 | 1.9% |
Renfrewshire | 0.712 | 0.9% |
Shetland Islands | 0.166 | 0.2% |
South Ayrshire | 1.455 | 1.7% |
South Lanarkshire | 8.563 | 10.3% |
Stirling | 1.450 | 1.7% |
The Highland Council | 2.508 | 3.0% |
West Dunbartonshire | 3.650 | 4.4% |
Sub-total Local Authority Spend (£m) | 55.273 | 66.5% |
Total Spend (£m) | 83.146 | 100.0% |
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government from which existing budget line the commitment to uplift the Affordable Housing Supply Programme by £80 million will be funded.
Answer
This commitment will be funded through reprioritisation of the existing overall Scottish budget, with a number of areas currently being reviewed. This will be reflected through the normal parliamentary budget review and approval process.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been (a) received and (b) approved for the National Acquisition Plan for properties that have been earmarked to be used for temporary accommodation.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of applications which have been earmarked to be used for temporary accommodation. It is for grant applicants to allocate the properties acquired.
In relation to the number of applications which have been (a) received and (b) approved for the National Acquisition Programme I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27110 on 14 May 2024.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the £80 million uplift in funding to help tackle homelessness, announced on 26 April 2024.
Answer
The commitment announced on 26 April will provide up to £40 million in 2024-2025, with an equivalent commitment in 2025-2026 to be confirmed subject to the standard budget setting processes.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £60 million National Acquisition Programme funding had been spent by the end of the 2023-24 financial year, and how many social homes this funding delivered, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
In 2023-2024 a total of £83.146 million was spent and a total of 1,431 affordable homes were delivered through the National Acquisition Programme (NAP). The following table provides a breakdown of these figures by local authority area.
Due to the nature of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), projects may draw down grant across multiple financial years. Spend, therefore, does not necessarily directly correlate to the number of homes delivered in the same financial year, as homes are only recorded as complete once a project record has fully completed.
Local Authority Area | Spend (£m) | Homes Delivered |
Aberdeen City | 4.234 | 126 |
Aberdeenshire | 1.131 | 16 |
Angus | 1.846 | 26 |
Argyll & Bute | 0.182 | 0 |
City of Edinburgh | 9.027 | 138 |
Clackmannanshire | 1.974 | 57 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 0.035 | 1 |
Dundee City | 0.520 | 13 |
East Ayrshire | 0.925 | 30 |
East Dunbartonshire | 2.964 | 21 |
East Lothian | 0.186 | 34 |
East Renfrewshire | 0.248 | 6 |
Falkirk | 3.150 | 70 |
Fife | 2.970 | 57 |
Glasgow City | 17.069 | 176 |
Inverclyde | 0.537 | 33 |
Midlothian | 0.195 | 38 |
Moray | 0.042 | 1 |
North Ayrshire | 2.417 | 7 |
North Lanarkshire | 7.972 | 110 |
Perth & Kinross | 2.497 | 59 |
Renfrewshire | 0.897 | 27 |
Scottish Borders | 1.450 | 22 |
Shetland Islands | 0.228 | 3 |
South Ayrshire | 1.455 | 37 |
South Lanarkshire | 9.723 | 202 |
Stirling | 1.450 | 37 |
The Highland Council | 3.932 | 65 |
West Dunbartonshire | 3.890 | 41 |
West Lothian | 0.000 | 45 |
Total | 83.146 | 1,498 |
Of the £83.146 million spent a total of £9.587 million was spent on projects to be initially used by Ukrainian displaced persons and later returned to be used within the wider social housing supply after a period of up to 3 years.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 24 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £97.4 million of cladding remediation funding it has spent to date.
Answer
The most recently published figures show a cumulative spend of £7.141m which supports the assessment, urgent interim measures and remediation of those buildings with the pilot programme. Information on expenditure is published quarterly on gov.scot
https://www.gov.scot/publications/single-building-assessment-spending-information/
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can confirm whether (a) all combustible cladding and insulation is banned for use above 11m in height on the buildings captured under the Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 and (b) combustible plastic foam insulation and combustible cladding such as high-pressure laminates and metal composite panels using combustible cores can no longer be used on the buildings captured in the scope of the ban.
Answer
The Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 amended regulation 8 of the building regulations so that "highly combustible metal composite material" panels, combustible cladding and combustible insulation can no longer be used for new building work captured in the scope of the ban.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 23 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes of any meetings of the Single Building Assessment Task and Finish Group.
Answer
We will publish minutes of meetings to date of the SBA Task and Finish Group by the end of July 2024. For any future meetings of the group minutes will be published within 12 weeks after the meeting has concluded.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 23 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to any conversations that it has had with the wider sector, what its current understanding is of any risks associated with PAS 9980 as a methodology for fire risk appraisal of external wall and cladding construction in the context of the current ban on combustible façade materials in Scotland.
Answer
As part of the preparation of the SBA (Single Building Assessment process) Scottish Government has had conversations with the wider sector, including Fire Engineers and Assessors where we have discussed the need for a FRAEW (Fire Risk Appraisal of External Wall).
When assessing an existing building’s EWS (External wall system), it is noted that existing buildings cannot be expected to meet modern Building Regulation standards for risk to human life as these buildings were built during a time when less onerous Building Regulations were in force. The PAS 9980 will be used by assessors to make an informed expert decision of whether or not the EWS is a low, medium or high risk and dictate from this whether or not the current build up is tolerable, and no further remediation is required, or the risk is intolerable and therefore remediation should be undertaken.
The aim of a SBA is not to bring a building into compliance with current Building Regulations, but to ensure that the risk to building occupants is reduced to a tolerable level. The focus of the remediation is to follow the recommendations in the SBA in how to bring the relevant parts of the building to either a low, or tolerable risk level. Where large areas of the façade are being remediated, alterations will be required to comply with current (fire) building regulations including the use of acceptable materials. To note that the current ban applies to any new building warrant applications only.