Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-19385

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding has been provided to local authorities to support the pay offers made by COSLA to the local government workforce since the 2023-24 Budget was published.

As set out in Annex A of the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, the Scottish Government has already confirmed to COSLA that a total of £343 million of additional funding will be made available to councils to support pay deals in 2023-24 over and above the allocation published in the Scottish Budget 2023-24.

Of this: £188.8 million was made available to fund the multi-year pay deal agreed by teachers; the additional £100 million for the Scottish Joint Council workforce was confirmed at Stage 3 of the Budget Bill; and Ministers have also provided reassurance to COSLA that a further £55 million, for a total of £155 million, will be provided through in-year budget management processes.

This £155 million of additional funding for the SJC workforce has already been factored into the existing COSLA pay offer and Ministers would encourage both sides to conclude negotiations as swiftly as possible.

As in previous years those transfers will be given formal effect during the annual budget revisions.

Question reference: S6O-02412

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for refugees from Ukraine, whether it will provide an update on the disembarkation of the MS Victoria, prior to the ship’s planned departure from the port of Leith on 11 July 2023.

Question reference: S6O-02345

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting City of Edinburgh Council with the Trinity Academy redevelopment.

Question reference: S6O-02171

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the regeneration and development of Granton Waterfront.

Question reference: S6O-02137

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it and its agencies have had with Leith Theatre.

Question reference: S5W-17127

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 20 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09168 by Joe Fitzpatrick on 22 May 2017, to what extent the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 applies to private companies.

As set out in my answer to S5W-09168, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 ('the Act') covers private companies if they are wholly-owned by a public authority listed in schedule 1 of the Act.

The Act can also be extended to organisations, including private companies, undertaking 'functions of a public nature'. Private companies brought within scope of the Act include private prison contractors and providers of secure accommodation for children. A draft order extending the Act to Registered Social Landlords is currently under consideration.

Question reference: S5W-17320

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the delivery of more affordable housing.

Today, I will announce the positive outcome of the Mid-Market Rent (MMR) Invitation, a further innovative initiative designed to expand the supply of affordable homes through long term loan investment.

£47.5m of Scottish Government loan funding is being provided to the Placemaking and Regeneration Group, Places for People for a proposal which will deliver 1,000 affordable mid-market rent homes and attract Institutional Investment to deliver a total funding package of around £150m into the Scottish Economy.

Places for People have set up a residential real estate fund which will own and deliver mid-market rent homes, supporting people on low and modest incomes to access high quality rented accommodation at affordable rent levels.

The Fund has been established as a Scottish Limited Partnership, managed by PfP Capital, the Financial Conduct Authority authorised fund management business for Places for People. A number of safeguards have been put in place to ensure that there is absolute transparency on who investors are and how the Fund will operate.

This is one of a number of Scottish Government supported schemes that will continue to expand the delivery of affordable mid-market rent housing, where required, to ensure that those on low to moderate incomes have access to high quality homes at affordable rent levels.

We will continue to work with local authorities to deliver such housing through innovative funding models that can attract significant levels of private investment, and support grant funded mid-market rent housing delivered through housing associations and their subsidiaries.

Question reference: S5W-16906

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-04448 by Kevin Stewart on 15 November 2016, whether it will outline the average Housing Association Grant (HAG) subsidy levels approved for housing association new development tender approval activity in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the last three years, broken down by type of tenure.

The following table sets out the average Housing Association Grant (HAG) subsidy levels approved for housing association new development tender approval activity in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the last three years, broken down by type of tenure:

Grant per unit

Edinburgh	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
HA Rent	£59,066	£59,063	£62,836
HA Low Cost Home Ownership	£29,558	£47,174	£31,821
Other Rent (Mid Market Rent)	£33,070	£39,882	£36,138

Glasgow	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
HA Rent	£66,221	£63,031	£74,659
HA Low Cost Home Ownership	n/a	n/a	£67,556
Other Rent (Mid Market Rent)	£33,713	£49,367	£31,240

Information for 2017-18 is not available yet and will be published within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme Outturn Report 2017-18 later in the year.

Question reference: S5W-16922

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06577 by Kevin Stewart on 2 February 2017, what the average (a) Housing Association Grant (HAG) and (b) non-HAG subsidy level per unit was expressed as a percentage of total costs for housing association new development tender approval activity in (i) Edinburgh and (ii) Glasgow in each of the last three years.

The following table sets out the average Housing Association Grant (HAG) and non (HAG) subsidy level expressed as a percentage of total costs for housing association new development tender approval activity in Edinburgh and Glasgow in each of the last three years:

Grant percentages

Edinburgh	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
HA Rent	48.36%	46.36%	49.89%
HA Low Cost Home Ownership	20.00%	28.49%	19.60%
Other Rent (Mid Market Rent)	26.72%	30.72%	27.29%

Glasgow	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
HA Rent	56.43%	63.79%	58.82%
HA Low Cost Home Ownership	n/a	n/a	43.30%
Other Rent (Mid Market Rent)	29.00%	39.6%	28.68%

Question reference: S5W-16205

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide meals to children outwith school term times.

Local authorities have the flexibility to provide meals and activities for children during school holidays where they think this is needed. We know that some local authorities such as East Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire are already doing good work to support children in their areas.

We have committed £1 million over the next two years to provide new practical support for children experiencing food insecurity during school holidays.

Tell us your views

Seòmar agus comataidhean