Tuesday 20 September 2016 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT Communities Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how it is using its powers under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 to improve the standard of private sector housing. (S5W-02262) Kevin Stewart: Private home owners are primarily responsible for improving their own property. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 gave local authorities discretionary powers to require owners to carry out work on substandard houses and to provide assistance with repairs and improvements to private property. The 2006 Act also set standards for private rented housing and gave tenants the rights to apply to the Private Rented Housing Panel. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 made some amendments to these powers to make them more effective in response to consultation with local authorities and other stakeholders, and also added additional safety elements to standards in private rented housing and third party reporting for local authorities to apply to the Private Rented Housing Panel on behalf of vulnerable tenants. It is for each local authority to determine how best to make use of those powers in order to meet its statutory duties and strategic aims, with regard to local priorities and resources. Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the condition of the current housing stock. (S5W-02267) Kevin Stewart: Private home owners and landlords are primarily responsible for improving their own property. Social landlords, including local authorities, are responsible for improving social housing. The Scottish Government requires local authorities to produce a local housing strategy which must, in particular, set out their strategy to address houses that do not meet the statutory tolerable standard, and their strategy for providing assistance for improving houses. The performance of social landlords against outcomes in the Scottish Social housing Charter is monitored by the independent Scottish Housing Regulator who will engage with landlords who are at risk of not meeting standards. The Scottish Government includes an element for private sector housing activities in the general capital and revenue grant made to local authorities. However, it is for each local authority to decide what actions should be taken to improve housing, with regard to local priorities and resources As social landlords, local authorities are expected to use rental income and prudential borrowing to ensure social housing owned by the authority complies with the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and to plan to meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing by 2020. Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the provision of maintenance and repairs for social housing. (S5W-02270) Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has set out minimum standards for maintenance and repair that can be expected by tenants in social housing. These standards are set out in the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) and, by 2020, landlords will also have to meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH). We have made available £10 million in grant and loan funding over the last two years to help social landlords meet EESSH. The performance of social landlords is monitored by the independent Scottish Housing Regulator who will engage with landlords who are at risk of not meeting standards. The Regulator’s most recent report found that 91.4% of social housing met the SHQS, and 68.6% of social housing already met the EESSH, in 2015-16. The report also found that tenants’ satisfaction with their landlord’s repairs and maintenance has improved, and that landlords are responding faster to emergency repairs. In some cases maintenance and repairs to social housing in tenements are blocked by owners who are unable or unwilling to consent to common works. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 introduced a discretionary power for local authorities to pay missing shares, and we are seeking views from stakeholders on extending this power to registered social landlords. The Scottish Government has also established a stakeholder forum to consider a single condition standard for all housing tenures, and I announced earlier this week the launch of a pilot equity loan scheme to assist home owners with essential energy efficiency works and repairs. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the call on 30 August 2016 from the Existing Homes Alliance for the forthcoming programme for government to set an objective for a national infrastructure programme that supports every home to reach at least an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C by 2025. (S5W-02272) Kevin Stewart: The programme for government reaffirms our commitment to develop a very significant energy efficiency and low carbon heat generation programme and includes a commitment to make available over half a billion pounds to Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme over the next four years. A one-size fits all target may not be appropriate for something as diverse as Scotland’s housing stock. We are currently undertaking analysis as part of the development of the Climate Change Plan which will inform the long term objectives of the National Infrastructure Priority. Further details will be set out in the draft Energy Strategy, which will be published for consultation alongside the draft Climate Change Plan this winter. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the call on 30 August 2016 from the Existing Homes Alliance for it to publish a delayed consultation on the regulation of energy efficiency in private sector. (S5W-02273) Kevin Stewart: We recognise that action is needed to stimulate demand for energy efficiency improvements, and the programme for government sets out our intention to consult this winter on the regulation of private rented sector housing to increase energy efficiency standards as part of the development of Scotland’s Energy Efficiency programme. We will also, in due course, consult on phased regulation of other existing buildings to improve their energy efficiency to support the aims of the programme as well as looking at what financial incentives may be appropriate. Further detail on Scotland’s Energy Efficiency programme will be set out in the draft energy strategy in winter 2016. John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the Scottish Ministers’ decision to call-in for determination consideration of, and their subsequent decision to grant, planning consent for the Trump International Golf Links Scotland development in Aberdeenshire, sets a precedent for the consideration of any future planning application at Coul Links in Sutherland, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter. (S5W-02282) Kevin Stewart: Ministers intervene in the processing of planning applications in exceptional circumstances where issues of genuine national importance are at stake. There is no definitive list of criteria used to decide whether to call-in a planning application as each case is considered on its own merits. John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with the developers of the proposed golf course at Coul Links in Sutherland, and what its position is on this matter. (S5W-02283) Kevin Stewart: I am not aware of any such discussions having taken place or scheduled to take place as this is a matter for Highland Council, as planning authority. John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Ministers will call in any future planning application for a golf course at Coul Links in Sutherland for their determination, and what its position is on this matter. (S5W-02284) Kevin Stewart: Ministers do have the power to call in any undetermined planning application. However, as I am sure you will appreciate, as there is no current planning application, it would be inappropriate for Ministers to comment on the merits of call in at this stage as that could potentially prejudice any future involvement they may have. Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, whether the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group has raised concerns about the availability of credit (a) to increase the pace and momentum of housing delivery to meet the 50,000 new homes target, and (b) since the UK voted to leave the EU. (S5W-02329) Kevin Stewart: Minutes from previous meetings of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group can be viewed on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/reform/jhpdg/jhpdg-meetings The most recent meeting of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group was on 22 June 2016. The Group has not met in plenary since the UK voted to leave the European Union. The next meeting of the Group will be in November 2016. Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, whether it and the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group have determined the level of credit required to increase the pace and momentum of housing delivery in order to meet the 50,000 new homes target. (S5W-02330) Kevin Stewart: Minutes from previous meetings of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group can be viewed on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/reform/jhpdg/jhpdg-meetings Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01610 by Kevin Stewart on 8 August 2016, what the date of its last meeting was with the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group when the availability of credit was (a) on the agenda or (b) discussed.