Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-02371

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to statistics reportedly showing that the number of complaints against Social Security Scotland has increased by 350% in one year.

Question reference: S6W-20657

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to roll out the Winter Heating Payment to households in 2023-24.

As part of our ongoing joint programme for delivery, following the launch of the Winter Heating Payment, Scottish Government officials have been working with counterparts at the Department of Work and Pensions to develop a revised timeframe that will allow payments to be issued earlier in Winter 2023-24 and subsequent years. I will provide a more detailed update to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on this work in due course.

Question reference: S6W-20571

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many households in Scotland have received support through boiler replacement schemes in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government operated a boiler scrappage scheme from May 2010 to March 2013. Details of the number of boilers replaced through this and other historic schemes funded by the Scottish Government are published on the Energy Saving Trust website .

Since 2013 the Scottish Government has provided help with the cost of replacement heating systems as part of our wider energy efficiency schemes. These include Area Based Schemes launched in 2013 and Warmer Homes Scotland which replaced the previous Energy Assistance Scheme in September 2015.

The Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback scheme was launched in 2016. Since December 2022, the Scottish Government only provides support towards the costs of replacement heating systems with low or zero direct emissions through the new Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme.

Table 1. Households receiving support with a replacement heating system through the Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback Scheme (now HES Grant and Loan)

Local Authority	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Aberdeen City	32	35	64	26	36	26
Aberdeenshire	34	33	35	42	83	69
Angus	19	22	12	12	28	26
Argyll & Bute	9	15	14	17	34	32
City of Edinburgh	101	94	73	43	87	113
Clackmannanshire	3	6	4	8	4	8
Dumfries & Galloway	14	22	22	22	41	29
Dundee City	35	37	17	8	21	13
East Ayrshire	11	15	13	8	19	26
East Dunbartonshire	11	15	4	7	25	24
East Lothian	21	16	20	12	33	30
East Renfrewshire	15	10	3	6	18	21
Falkirk	22	22	16	14	18	31
Fife	64	74	47	38	81	73
Glasgow City	44	53	36	20	35	42
Highland	59	39	36	48	109	105
Inverclyde	4	7	5	3	16	6
Midlothian	10	12	10	4	11	25
Moray	4	6	11	14	29	33
Na h-Eileanan Siar	4	8	3	3	8	11
North Ayrshire	15	28	11	13	21	13
North Lanarkshire	28	30	10	12	14	28
Orkney Islands	4	3	10	12	31	14
Perth & Kinross	18	28	21	27	50	70
Renfrewshire	14	23	14	6	26	23
Scottish Borders	17	27	22	26	47	42
Shetland Islands	8	6	5	10	20	7
South Ayrshire	16	17	7	13	22	25
South Lanarkshire	29	42	29	22	41	55
Stirling	14	27	19	16	28	37
West Dunbartonshire	3	5	4	2	6	5
West Lothian	20	23	22	13	15	50
Total	702	800	619	527	1057	1112

Replacement heating systems have also been installed through our Warmer Homes Scotland scheme which is targeted at those in or at risk of fuel poverty.

Table 2. Households receiving support with a heating system through Warmer Homes Scotland

Local authority	15-16	16-17	17-18	18-19	19-20	20-21	21-22	22-23
Aberdeen City	39	121	93	100	64	71	109	130
Aberdeenshire	56	193	144	115	98	74	146	144
Angus	29	118	87	75	54	39	90	116
Argyll & Bute	24	127	91	85	74	49	92	73
City of Edinburgh	59	259	250	201	180	159	311	334
Clackmannanshire	14	47	30	29	29	20	34	60
Dumfries & Galloway	59	178	205	145	120	79	155	129
Dundee City	55	181	193	112	87	93	146	164
East Ayrshire	36	102	85	61	84	57	120	92
East Dunbartonshire	25	75	58	55	65	55	100	69
East Lothian	20	66	43	50	49	32	60	98
East Renfrewshire	24	61	69	60	49	43	72	62
Falkirk	34	92	96	71	89	74	116	112
Fife	104	329	315	228	216	196	333	408
Glasgow City	132	408	432	388	348	347	540	467
Highland	72	435	293	199	156	109	192	160
Inverclyde	26	218	145	110	125	66	134	114
Midlothian	20	67	59	56	54	41	73	87
Moray	17	81	66	47	52	40	69	73
Na h-Eileanan Siar	5	89	144	85	82	50	50	20
North Ayrshire	45	131	92	68	81	53	123	123
North Lanarkshire	84	320	254	222	242	235	353	339
Orkney Islands	6	27	29	24	21	10	16	9
Perth & Kinross	41	118	115	83	70	58	102	117
Renfrewshire	56	154	156	115	119	80	166	163
Scottish Borders	21	95	101	62	57	42	70	81
Shetl& Islands	1	6	44	28	34	17	32	29
South Ayrshire	29	132	108	64	76	48	104	108
South Lanarkshire	81	299	284	169	224	213	340	336
Stirling	25	56	56	32	43	24	45	55
West Dunbartonshire	18	67	52	55	51	46	78	56
West Lothian	33	122	111	103	82	68	147	169
Total	1,290	4,774	4,300	3,297	3,175	2,588	4,518	4,497

Information about the number and type of measures delivered by local councils since 2013 through Area Based Schemes is published on the Scottish Government website.

Details of the number of replacement heating systems funded as part of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme since 2013 are published by the UK Government .

Question reference: S6W-20570

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the threshold for paying Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.

Question reference: S6W-20574

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with further education institutions regarding saving the digital skills academy, CodeClan.

The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise worked intensively with CodeClan to explore every possible option to secure a sustainable future, including commissioning the support of private sector consultants and considering options involving other public sector entities. In this case, the financial liabilities carried by the business were substantial, making those options unviable.

Codebase, the operator of Scotland's Techscaler network, has acquired CodeClan’s training materials and other assets. The Scottish Government has agreed to provide financial support to Codebase for the explicit purpose of allowing students who have paid for courses to complete their studies.

Question reference: S6W-20654

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce land value capture.

A proportion of land value uplift is already “captured” through national and local taxation. Additionally, existing planning mechanisms such as section 75 planning obligations can be used to secure contributions to, or provision of, infrastructure and affordable housing. Independent research published in July 2021 estimated that in 2019-20 alone, almost £0.5bn was agreed through planning obligations in Scotland – more than half of which was for affordable housing. The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 contains powers for an infrastructure levy which would provide local authorities with a new mechanism, alongside planning obligations, for seeking financial contributions from developers. The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing the levy during this Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-20462

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light its report, Temporary Accommodation Task and Finish Group: Final Report and Recommendations, whether the National Acquisition Programme will be targeted at the City of Edinburgh to reduce the reported number of families and children living in temporary accommodation in the city.

Question reference: S6W-20652

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 5 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the level of fees that have been applied for various short-term let licence applications in each local authority area since their introduction.

Question reference: S6W-20651

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 5 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been raised from short-term let licence application fees in each local authority area since their introduction.

Question reference: S6W-20573

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 5 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on future Edinburgh festivals of any reduction in short-term let accommodation.

The Edinburgh festivals are an essential part of Scotland’s yearly calendar and we are confident that the powers granted to the City of Edinburgh Council, and all of the local authorities, to deliver short term let schemes are appropriate to reflect local circumstances, whilst guaranteeing a level of good quality standards that will bring assurance to guests and visitors staying in Scotland. As the policy is set and delivered by the council, no central assessment has been made on impact to the festivals. To date, no short term let licence applications have been refused in Edinburgh. Those hosts that have been operating since before October 2022 are eligible for transitional arrangements and, as long as they make a licence application before the deadline of 1 October 2023, can continue to accept bookings and receive guests after October 2023 until their application is determined.

Local authorities have powers to set their own licensing fees on a cost recovery basis. The Scottish Government does not hold information on how much has been raised from short-term let application fees in each local authority area.

The following table provides a breakdown of the licence application fee structures set by each local authority area.

Local Authority	Guest Capacity	Home Sharing Fees	Secondary letting Fees
Aberdeenshire	1 to 2	£340	£450
	3 to 4	£450	£600
	5 to 9	£570	£760
	10 to 15	£680	£850
	16 or more	£850	£940

Aberdeen City	1 to 2	£420	£420
	3 to 4	£630	£630
	5 to 6	£840	£840
	7 to 8	£1120	£1120
	9 to 12	£1490	£1490
	13 or more	£2980	£2980

Angus	1 to 5	£349	£349
	6 to 20	£460	£460
	20 or more	£588	£588

Argyll & Bute	1 to 4	£239.55	£334.95
	5 to 8	£334.95	£479.10
	9 to 12	£526.80	£718.70
	13 to 20	£671	£958.25
	21 or more	£862.85	£1197.80

Clackmannanshire	1 to 4	£275	£450
	5 or more	£350	£550

Dumfries & Galloway	1 to 6	£275.28	£302.81
	7 to 12	£306.05	£336.75
	13 or more	£350.84	£385.85

Dundee	1 to 2	£310	£310
	3 to 4	£620	£620
	5 to 6	£930	£930
	7 to 8	£1240	£1240
	9 to 12	£1860	£1860
	13 or more	£3100	£3100

East Ayrshire	1 to 4	£125	£250
	5 or more	£250	£400

East Dunbartonshire	Up to 10	£540
	Every Additional 5 Persons	£50

Edinburgh	1 to 3	New (1 year) £120 per occupant	£653
	4 to 5	Renew (3 year) £360 per occupant	£1,089
	6 to 10		£2,481
	11 to 15		£3,872
	16 to 20		£5,264
	21 and over		£5,869

Fife	1 to 2	£264	£264
	3 to 4	£292	£292
	5 to 6	£320	£320
	7 to 8	£348	£348
	9 to 10	£377	£377
	11 to 12	£405	£405
	13 to 14	£433	£433
	15 to 16	£461	£461
	17 to 18	£490	£490
	19 to 20	£518	£518

Glasgow	1 to 4	£138	£275
	5 or more	£303	£440

Inverclyde	1 to 4	£225	£400
	5 or more	£300	£500

Moray	N/A	£495

Na h-Eileanan Siar	1 to 2	£133	£306
	3 to 4	£153	£357
	5 to 6	£204	£383
	7 or more	£306	£408

North Ayrshire	1 to 4	£125	£200

North Lanarkshire	1 to 4	£300	£300
	5 or more	£450	£450

Orkney	1 to 4	£240	£310
	5 to 9	£300	£380
	10 or more	£400	£510

Perth and Kinross	1 to 2	£175	£350
	3 to 6	£265	£530
	7 to 10	£450	£900
	11 or more	£800	£1600

Renfrewshire	1 room	£262	£840
	2 rooms	£368	£945
	3 rooms	£368	£1,050
	4 or more	£368	£1,155

Scottish Borders	1 to 3	£275	£300
	4 to 6	£305	£335
	7 or more	£350	£385

Shetland	1 to 3	£157	£189
	3 or more	£173	£208

South Ayrshire	1 to 4	£125	£250
	5 or more	£250	£400

South Lanarkshire	1 to 2	£250	£300
	3 to 6	£375	£450
	7 to 10	£450	£550
	11 or more	£625	£750

Stirling	1 to 4	£100	£250
	5 or more	£250	£400

West Dunbartonshire	N/A	£766	£766

West Lothian	1 Bedroom	£325	£450
	2 to 3 Bedrooms	£420	£550
	4 to 6 Bedrooms	£595	£720
	7 or more	£865	£1,000

"home sharing" means using all or part of your own home for short-term lets whilst you are there and "secondary letting" means a short-term let involving the letting of a property where you do not normally live, for example a second home.

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