 Gweithio i chi. Maen nhw'n hyfforddiad o peeledwch, y romant. A gweld pobl yn y gyllid yn hyfforddiad hwn. Mae'n mynd i gael y Llyfridol. Ond, yn y cyfrifoldaeth sy'n adegyswer i y cyfrifiwr i ni o gan pawb cyffredin y Cixinkwyr, mae fydd y cyfrifiwr yn y chyfo'u cyfrifiwr o'u cyfrifiwr ar yr adegwch. Fyngfaen chi'n gweithio'r cyfrifiwr o bobl yn gyfrifiwr o bobl yn cyfrifiwr, i'r gwleidio cynyddu i gael y gweithreulau a gwheilwyr y nautaryg datblygu sydd yng Nghymru? Mae gwirionedd nifith gweithreulau ac mae gennym, nad oedd gwneud o bobl rereinwyr. Mae nid i gweithreulau i'r gwleidio ond uchydig, yn weithglwyr arweinydd, ac mae'n gydag i'i gweithreulau iddynt i gael yn gweithreulau i gael gweithreulau i gael gyllidau. towaedden eligibility? Tenant grant fund spend data to the end of January 2022, broken down by local authority, was published in March 2022. Since then, all local authorities have been asked to provide up-to-date reports covering the financial year 21-22 quarter four, as well as for the first two quarters of this year. This information is being collated and quality assured, and it will be published by the end of this year. As per the programme for government, the local authorities will be able to use any unspent funds to support people who have built up more recent arrears and guidance will be issued to local authorities shortly. Neil Bibby. I thank the minister for that answer. Scottish Labour welcomes the fact that the government widened eligibility for the fund in the programme for government. Once again, it is something that we call for in our cost of living plan in August that the government adopted. However, the government has not published its updated guidance on the widening of the scheme, and more critically, the renew of the £10 million has not been provided. Given that three of the six councils wholly in the West Scotland region have exhausted the original funding and the other three have just £35,000 between them, this empty gesture will do nothing to help tenants struggling with arrears through the cost of living crisis. Will the minister therefore renew the funding and ensure that the grant fund is fit for purpose? I welcome Neil Bibby's support for this move, even if it's a little bit short-lived, because he seems to have not welcomed it by the end of his question. The fund was set up to support tenants during Covid, and it was announced that we would extend that eligibility in the way that Mr Bibby has explained. Local authorities have to consider outstanding applications in relation to arrears accrued during the Covid pandemic before considering applications in relation to more recent arrears, and that will be made clear in updated communications to local authorities and in the guidance. However, I do not think that any of us have to look far to find areas of the Scottish budget where we would all like to put more money, and I very much hope that Labour colleagues will join us in calling on the UK Government to inflation-proof the Scottish budget to enable us to do that. Will the minister outline how the Scottish Government intend to make the private rented sector remain affordable and sustainable over the winter period? Indeed, we have asked local authorities to ensure that the private rented sector is able to benefit from the tenant grant fund as well as from the other support that we make available. It's the information and data that is currently being collected by local authorities that will be collated and published later this year that will show us whether that emphasis has had the desired impact. I hope that we can all recognise that the Scottish Government is putting substantial funding into supporting tenants in all parts of the rented sector throughout these difficult times. To ask the Scottish Government what impact inflation is having on its affordable housing programme. We are aware of the global issues affecting construction, including the war in Ukraine and rising inflation, which has been exacerbated by Brexit and the current cost crisis. We are working closely with the construction industry and housing partners to mitigate that where possible to achieve our shared goal of delivering more affordable homes for Scotland, including operating a flexible grant system that can take account of increased costs. I am heartened that the affordable housing sector continues to show signs of recovery with completions having risen by 17 per cent compared to the previous year to June 2021. I thank the cabinet secretary for her response. Does she agree that new affordable home construction has been undermined by the UK Tory Government cutting Scotland's capital grant this year from £4,973 million to less than £4,468 million, a fall of more than 10 per cent, £504.1 million? Unless the reverse, this double whammy of cuts to our capital grant, coupled with rising inflation due to Tory economic incompetence, will further reduce new build and that next week's UK budget will be a good place to start reversing these cuts? Yes, inflation and the economic chaos caused by the UK Government means our annual budget today is worth £1.7 billion less than last December. We are facing an enormous strain at the same time as focusing on protecting people from the cost of living crisis and mitigating against many of the UK Government's cuts, particularly those impacting people on low incomes and child poverty. Instead of cutting Scotland's capital grant, we have urged the UK Government to release additional public spending on infrastructure and consider other measures to help ease those pressures and allow our capital programme to continue at the required pace. I would agree with Kenny Gibson that the UK budget would be a good place to start. Housing associations across Scotland are reporting that the Scottish Government's rent control scheme is resulting in its chaos to have to rewrite its plans and economic plans for new construction. How many fewer homes does the cabinet secretary think that that will now deliver? The big impact on the social rented sector and local authorities at the moment are the issue of high interest rates, which affects their loans and rampant inflation, which has been exacerbated by the actions of the UK Tory Government. On the rent freeze, as the member knows well, we are working closely with the sector to establish the key considerations for any cap on rents beyond 31 March next year, because there has been no impact on rents in the social sector this year, because they were already set. What we are talking about is from 1 April next year. We have said that we will provide certainty by 14 January at the very latest. Meantime, we operate a flexible grant system, which we expect will allow the continued delivery of affordable homes. Of course, we are working very closely with the sector to help them to address some of the challenges. As I said in my answer to Kenny Gibson, completions have risen by 17 per cent compared to the previous year to June 2021, so we are still seeing projects coming in, and I would encourage RSLs to continue to submit those. I am keen to understand where mid-market rents sit, whether they sit within the affordable sector or the private sector with regard to the rent cap legislation, because I am keen for more mid-market rented properties to be built, but they need certainty for that to happen. I will write to Willie Rennie with further detail, but in essence some mid-market rent sits within the private residential sector and built by the private sector, and some sits within the social rented sector that are built by RSLs, so it would depend on whether they sit, but I am happy to write to the member with more details of that if we would find that helpful. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities to deliver relief for residents at risk of poverty during the cost of living crisis and in light of rising energy costs. We are working with local authority partners to support people facing the cost of living crisis. Through the emergency budget review, we have taken a number of actions, including allocating almost £20 million of additional funding to double the December Scottish child bridging payment to £260, benefiting around 145,000 eligible children. We are also making up to £86.6 million available for discretionary housing payments, mitigating the UK Government's unfair bedroom tax and benefit cap, and giving local authorities more flexibility to support people with energy bills. Of course, we are also providing over £260 million to support council employee pay rises, especially benefiting lower-paid workers. I thank the minister for that answer. In July this year, concerned with the looming energy crisis, I met with local churches to discuss the idea of warm welcome spaces for the winter, and I am glad to see now that it is being rolled out throughout churches in Air, Presswick and Trun. During these difficult times, local authorities are putting measures in place to assist local communities, and SNP-run North Ayrshire Council has launched a massive £450,000 fund to help out residents through the cost of living crisis. Does the minister agree with me that all councils across Scotland should take similar steps? I know that all councils are considering those matters, and many local authorities are working to help people with the cost of living crisis using their resources and powers. That includes exploring the establishment of warm spaces and the fund that North Ayrshire Council has set up. I am also aware, if I recall correctly, that Glasgow City Council has created a £3 million fund, including £1 million for fuel top-up cards. Midlodion Council has put £29,000 into a heat and eat fund for families to help them when they are not eligible for Scottish welfare fund support. Falkirk Council has allocated more than £0.5 million for its household support fund, providing cash for support to 1,000 households since September 2022. There are a number of actions taking place, and that symbolises how we all need to work together in this cost of living crisis to support people. The minister will be aware that one of the best ways to help people is to get the appropriate social security benefits, but Social Security Scotland announced yesterday that, for four days next week, there will be taking no online applications, and people will not be able to apply for benefits during that period. Is this acceptable, and what measures will he take to make sure that my constituents and his constituents are adversely affected by this? Social Security Scotland is providing more benefits to people in Scotland than is available elsewhere in the UK. The reason that Social Security Scotland is having to pause applications electronically through its systems through the period of time that Mr Balfour has stipulated is because there are system upgrades and processes that need to run through in order to deliver the really significant intervention on Monday 14 November of our Scottish child payment, which is only available in Scotland, going up to £25 per week per child for eligible children and being extended to children who are eligible who are under 16. Taking the possible take-up of that benefit from around 100,000 children to an eligibility figure if people apply of 400,000 children. We are focused on running really good systems and doing things correctly, and that involves making sure that the IT systems and the operational systems in Social Security Scotland are all running the way that they need to be for Monday 14 November, and we will help all the people that we will. Scottish Public Services' Ombudsman report found that there was a 36.7 per cent increase in the Scottish welfare fund review applications received from the previous year. Can the minister set out when he will be able to tell us about the review of the Scottish welfare fund and when it will be complete? Is it briefly possible, minister? I thank Pam Duncan-Glancy and other members for their interest in that important area, and the Scottish welfare fund is an important aspect of how we help people every year, especially this year. I will be updating the committee very shortly on that review and look forward to doing that. To ask the Scottish Government for its response to the latest registers of Scotland, UK house price index figures. Housing to 2040-hour long-term housing strategy is designed to be agile and may assess programmes and make adjustments as needed. Recognising wider market conditions in August, we increased the thresholds for our open market shared equity scheme by an average of 9 per cent to support more first-time buyers and priority groups into home ownership. We also operate a flexible grant system that can take account of increased cost to partners when purchasing properties on the open market for affordable use. The economic chaos of recent months caused by the UK Government has, of course, not helped. I thank the cabinet secretary for her reply. The latest report showed an annual increase of nearly 28 per cent for house prices in the western isles. That is part of a trend that has seen local house prices rise by more than 81 per cent since 2015, higher than any other local authority area. Meanwhile, we have areas like Harris where something like a fifth of the housing stock is tied up in second homes and short-term lets. Is the cabinet secretary willing to meet with me and partners such as Corinne Neal and Shear to discuss possible solutions to the serious problem? Of course. I am always open to discussing housing issues raised by members and councils, and I am happy to arrange that. It is worth noting that £43.3 million is being made available in this Parliament through the affordable housing programme in the western isles. I would expect the council to be working closely with relevant partners to ensure delivery of the affordable housing that local communities need. My officials are working closely with the council to achieve that, and we are meeting in the islands next week, as well as progressing the development of a remote rural and island housing action plan to support housing delivery in rural Scotland. However, we will get that meeting established as soon as we can. 5. Donald Cameron To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent Highlands and Islands Enterprise survey in which 76 per cent of people who responded said that there aren't enough affordable houses for rent or to buy locally. While we delivered 3,417 affordable homes over the last Parliament in Highlands and Islands, we recognise that challenges remain. I am pleased that we are making available more than £422 million to support the delivery of affordable homes in the region during the current Parliament. In recognition of the challenges that are facing our more remote communities, we are working with stakeholders to develop a remote rural and island housing action plan that will be published in the spring. It is clear that the lack of affordable housing is one of the main drivers of depopulation of the Highlands and Islands, and there are now over 9,000 households on the waiting list for social homes in the Highland Council area alone. Given that the Scottish Government has continually failed to meet its building targets for affordable homes, what action will the cabinet secretary now take to help people in the Highlands and Islands to get a home? We have made available to Highland Council a 25 per cent increase on the funding provided over the last parliamentary term over £240 million. We have also, of course, got the rural and island housing fund. We have also delivered more than 1,600 more homes in rural and remote Scotland this Parliament. There is an increase in the number of homes being delivered in remote and rural Scotland, but I think that Donald Cameron and his colleagues on the Tory benches need to be consistent because he mentioned the issue of affordable houses for rent or to buy locally. One of the issues that he will be aware of is the loss of homes to holiday lets and short-term lets. When we brought forward legislation to address that and to avoid the loss of homes in his area and other member's areas to short-term lets and holiday lets in order to address some of the issues that he raises in this Parliament, how many colleagues voted against that legislation? What we need to see from Donald Cameron and others is a bit of consistency because when we develop and deliver the levers to help address some of those problems, I just do not understand why how many colleagues come along here and vote against those levers. There is no consistency in their position whatsoever. We also need slightly shorter answers. Brief supplementary, Gillian Martin. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am notwithstanding the cost issues that Kenny Gibson has outlined. Can the cabinet secretary comment on the progress of the affordable housing supply programme that has been undertaken to make sure that the target of 10 per cent of the 110,000 affordable housing targets met? Gillian Martin raises a really important issue here. The 110,000 target has been really important and it builds, of course, on the 113,000 affordable homes delivered since 2007 with more than 6,000 of those delivered in rural and island communities, but we recognise that there are particular barriers to delivering affordable housing within rural Scotland, which is why the remote and rural housing action plan, which is going to be published in the spring, is so important because it specifically addresses how we can remove those barriers to speed up the process of delivery of affordable homes within rural Scotland. I am sure that, when she sees it, she will recognise the importance of that plan. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the social justice cabinet secretary has had with ministerial colleagues on any potential impact on levels of personal debt of the inclusion of individual consumers under the Moveable Transactions Scotland Bill. The bill is a long overdue reform of the law of security relating to movable property, making it a matter for the economy portfolio rather than the social justice portfolio. The main reform in the bill, which may impact on individual consumers, is the introduction of the statutory pledge. I am in no doubt that it should not be possible to grant a statutory pledge over ordinary household goods, and so its impact on individual consumers is expected to be limited. However, I recently met citizens advice Scotland and other debt advice agencies and listened carefully to what they had to say on this, and I can confirm to the men in Parliament that I am very well disposed to strengthening the consumer protections in the bill. I thank you very much for that answer. As you said, the bill that is currently constituted would allow people who are in very difficult financial circumstances to borrow money-based of the value of their items around the value of £1,000. It seems that, as you have said, almost every consumer debt and money advice organisation has highlighted the serious pitfalls that prevent for those struggling in debt. In short, a bill designed to help businesses is suddenly incentivising irresponsible lenders to target individuals in financial distress. I am glad of the cabinet secretary's answer, but can I just clarify that you will seek to speak with colleagues in other portfolios to amend the bill accordingly? Yes, I am very happy to engage directly with the member. My position right now is that I am awaiting the report of the DPLR committee. I gave evidence last week to the committee. I want to carefully consider what their recommendations are, but I recognise the concerns that have been raised. I am considering them very carefully. I will consider the report very carefully and I am happy to meet with any member ahead of the stage 1 debate to discuss these matters further. To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being taken to end the practice of children living in temporary accommodation in light of recent homelessness statistics. Cabinet secretary, we want everyone to have the stability of a settled home that meets their needs and to ensure that the time spent in temporary accommodation is as short as possible. Our strong homelessness legislation means that homeless households, including those with children, have a right to temporary accommodation, which provides an important safety net. However, I have asked an expert group chaired by Shelter Scotland and the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing officers for an action plan to help to reduce the numbers of people in temporary accommodation with a strong focus on households with children. The group will produce the final recommendations in early 2023. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, because Shelter Scotland says that our housing system in Scotland is broken. In the last year alone, the number of children stuck in temporary accommodation rose by 17 per cent, the highest since records began and the doubling since 2014. The situation in Edinburgh is now beyond crisis levels, with more than a quarter of all children in Scotland living in temporary accommodation here in the capital. We need to see an emergency response, cabinet secretary. I also ask if she will agree to personally chair and establish an emergency task force for the capital to specifically look at the issues that are facing children living in temporary accommodation here. First of all, we already have an expert group chaired by the very Shelter Scotland that he has just mentioned along with a that are looking at Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland. I think that we should allow them to get on with that work. In terms of Edinburgh specifically, in the summer I met the housing convener for Edinburgh and other local authorities under most pressure. I have recently written to both Edinburgh and Glasgow housing conveners to follow up on those discussions and have reiterated the ask for them to submit proposals that could relieve some of the pressure on temporary accommodation. I have committed to considering all the options that are being brought forward to help with the pressures on temporary accommodation, so they need to come forward and I have very much an open door to responding to that. Finally, although Miles Briggs and those on his benches need to recognise that the links from temporary accommodation and people ending up in temporary accommodation are very much linked to poverty and people ending up in debt and poverty and the cost of living crisis is a major factor in that. While we will do what we need to do, I would urge him to also make representations to the UK Government to support people at this difficult time. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the local government minister has had with local authorities regarding running effective consultations on the delivery of front-line public services. I regularly speak to representatives of local government on a variety of issues regarding front-line services. Consultations are important to ensure that local people and communities have meaningful decisions on public services. However, councils are independent of the Scottish Government, and as long as they are meeting any consultation statutory requirements, it is entirely a matter for councils how to carry out consultations, and the Scottish Government has no involvement in those processes. If there is a particular issue or service that Jenny Minto is concerned with, then I am happy to consider that and, as appropriate, I ask the relevant portfolio minister to respond separately. I thank the minister for that very helpful response. As the minister will know, Argyllin buta is a hugely diverse area with no two communities the same, and consultations can be on topics as diverse as education change to improving peer infrastructure. When it comes to consulting on local services, one size does not fit all. What guidance would the Scottish Government offer to local authorities to ensure that individual consultations get the best responses to reflect the community's needs? I agree that the diverse and varied needs of Scotland's communities is an important aspect to consider when carrying out consultations. That is why I believe that councils are best placed to determine the needs for each consultation locally. The Scottish Government has its own consultation guidance, and we seek to ensure that we engage with a wide range of stakeholders to take on a broad range of views and experiences to inform policy and decision making. I would be happy to have further correspondence with Jenny Minto on ways in which the Scottish Government can perhaps assist her more in her area. Thank you very much minister. That concludes portfolio questions. Can I just add a reminder that those participating in portfolio questions or indeed any debate are expected to stay in for the duration of portfolio questions, except if they have been given prior consent to leave early? I noticed that a couple of members dashed out during the course of proceedings, so I would appreciate that if that did not happen in the future. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next item of business.