 The first item of business is portfolio questions. The portfolio this afternoon is social justice, housing and local government. I remind members if they wish to request a supplementary, they should please press the request-to-speak button during the relevant question or indicate so in the chat function by entering the letters RTS during the relevant question. I call question number one, Alexander Stewart. To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes it has delivered in the past year. Minister Paul MacLennan. Scotland has led the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK. Latest published statistics to the end of December 2022 show that in calendar year 2022, the Scottish Government, through the affordable housing supply programme, supported delivery of 9,727 affordable homes, an increase of 1 per cent on the previous calendar year. More than 8,000 of those homes are for social rent. That takes the total delivered since 2007 to more than 118,000 affordable homes with 70 per cent of those for social rent. I welcome and thank the minister for that response. Statistics released last month by the Scottish Government have indicated that a number of new home starts in the last quarter of 2022 have decreased by 24 per cent. The housing market is in an absolute crisis and without any plans how to address the crisis, healings can only get worse, minister. Projects are being halted due in part to Patrick Harvie's rent freeze. Does the minister agree that the recent rent cap will negatively impact the delivery of new homes? I thank the member for that question. I think that one of the key things in discussing with the sector itself is the cost of construction inflation and the general inflation costs. Construction inflation is at 16 per cent, which has obviously impacted on delivery of homes, both in the social sector and in the private sector. That is certainly the feedback that I have had. The market has also slowed down in the feedback that we have had on the massive increase in interest rates. That is the biggest influence that we have seen in the slowdown of the housing market. Shetland continues to have a shortage of available housing and long waiting lists for housing associations and council homes. Recruitment and retention in key industries and public services is hampered by a lack of available housing. The Scottish Government needs to ramp up the pace to deliver on the promise of 110,000 affordable homes by 2023-22. How is the Scottish Government ensuring that estimates of affordable homes needed in rural and island areas are just for the demands of growing industries being attracted to the Highlands and Islands? That is an incredibly important point that the member has made. Of course, of that 110,000 target, at least 10 per cent of that is rural housing, which is around 11,000. We are working on a remote rural and island house in action plan. As part of the work that I am looking to do over the summer, I am looking to visit as many islands as many rural areas as I can. We are obviously keen to visit your own constituency in that regard. Of course, we have to look at the affordability. As I mentioned before, around about 16 per cent increase has been talked about in construction costs. That is something that I am working on officials with at the moment. We will see the more detailed work, as I said, in the remote rural and island action plan. I am more than happy to visit your constituency during the next three months. Before I move to question 2, which is Bob Doris, I know that the member was not here at the start of the portfolio questions. I am sure that he would wish to preface his question with an apology to the chamber. Question 2, Bob Doris. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I indeed have done so without your prompting, but Julie noted in my apologies for coming. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports low-income families in Glasgow. Tackling to poverty is a defining mission of this Government. We are providing a range of support that will benefit families in Glasgow and across Scotland. That includes investment in the Scottish child payment, 1140 hours of funded childcare, free school meals and in discretionary housing payments, which provide direct financial support to people struggling with housing costs. We are actively working with partners in Glasgow to connect families to the services that they need to thrive and have committed to tripling our fuel and security fund to support anyone at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationaling their energy use. Bob Doris. Presiding Officer, I welcome those substantial efforts. In Tuesday's child poverty debate, I suggested the possibility for a school clothing grant twice in a school year or needed a summer holiday supplement to the Scottish child payment. Suggestions that could potentially benefit low-income families at particularly financial times. Cabinet Secretary, given that there is going to be an anti-poverty summit, can I ask how the Scottish Government will consider new initiatives to tackle child poverty including the suggestions that I have made and how those will be agreed, of course, as resources are identified? Cabinet Secretary. I thank Bob Doris for his questions and, indeed, for the proposals and suggestions that he has brought forward. I think that the last point of that question, Presiding Officer, is the key point about when new resources are identified because, as Mr Doris quite rightly knows, one of the challenges that we have is that our budgets are fully allocated. However, we need to look very seriously at new ideas. That is why the First Minister has proposed the anti-poverty summit. I believe that invites are now going out for that. I would be happy to take those suggestions as read, but if Mr Doris would like to provide me with more in writing, I would of course be happy to receive that. Question 3, Alexander Burnett. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of households that have received the winter heating payment in Aberdeenshire. Cabinet Secretary. As of 31 March 2023, almost 400,000 low-income households had automatically received their £50 in winter heating payment. To support them with their energy bills for this winter, all will have received a letter explaining their entitlement to the benefit. Our first release of official statistics on winter heating payment will be published on 6 June 2023 and then on an annual basis in the future. Those will include the additional local authority area breakdowns. Those will be available on Social Security Scotland's website. Alexander Burnett. Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for that answer. We look forward to the local authority breakdowns. In my constituency, areas such as Braymar and Aboyn have been recognised for having some of the coldest temperatures in the UK and constituents previously could have received more than triple the current £50 flat rate. What consideration has the Scottish Government given to those who are now missing out on receiving support that they previously had under the UK's cold-weather payment? One of the challenges of the previous scheme in which the winter heating payment has tried to resolve is that nobody knew how much money they were going to get each year. It was, of course, weather-dependent. It also did not include aspects such as wind chill factors. There was a great challenge around where the actual weather stations were that created great challenges for some parts of the country, not receiving money that people thought they should be receiving. What we have tried to do with this benefit is to ensure that people know what they will be receiving, when they will be receiving it, so that there is a certainty to what is happening. That is very important when we see the cost of living crisis that has been exacerbated by the Tory mismanagement of the UK economy, including in energy prices. Question 4 has been withdrawn. Question 5, Jeremy Balfour. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on where the older people and social security are priority policy areas in light of a decision to include the ministerial titles in the recent round of ministerial appointments. I am the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, which includes social security. The equalities minister, as with the previous equalities minister, has responsibility for older people. It is totally clear to anyone that, unlike the UK Government, social security and older people are important to this Government. That is why we are delivering seven Scottish Government benefits only available in Scotland and mitigating the harm caused by UK Government policies. Our £50 winter heating payment also goes automatically to 400,000 people, including those on pension credit. We have tripled the full insecurity fund to £30 million to support those in hardship. I would urge the UK Government to match those efforts. Jeremy Balfour. With no specific minister responsible for social security, what reassurances can the Scottish Government give us that there will not be any further slippage to the full transfer of devolved benefits? I think that this is the second day in the row that we have tried. I am the minister responsible for social security. At the time when Ben MacPherson was, as a junior minister, made responsible for social security, the Conservatives complained that we had demoted the post, but now we are complaining that it is back at a cabinet secretary level. I do find this a little bit strange, and maybe finding complaints where none is required. I hope to be able to demonstrate to Jeremy Balfour in the work that we do, and I hope that the work that we do together that I will be taking very seriously all the issues involved in social security and ensuring that we work towards not only delivering the benefits, but also the case transfers as the current timetable suggests. And supplementary, John Mason. Thank you. I cannot believe that the Conservatives are so worried about titles rather than reality. But I understand that the Scottish Government has recently launched a campaign to make people more aware of eligibility for disability benefits. Can the cabinet secretary say anything more about that campaign? I think that this is a very important aspect that we are determined to carry forward. It is not just having dignity, fairness and respect in the system, but it is also as part of ensuring that people are aware of the benefits that are there and also an encouragement to apply what they are eligible for. I do not know of any UK Government scheme where they proactively encouraged people to apply for disability benefits and ensure that they are getting the money that we are entitled to. That is something that we are absolutely determined to do. I would encourage all members in the chamber, regardless of which party they are in, to share the work that Social Security has done on the campaign for the benefits of its constituents. Thank you very much. In a week where research by the Joseph Brown Tree Foundation revealed that the number of people living in very deep poverty has increased significantly in two decades, does the cabinet secretary at least recognise that the removal of those titles from ministerial briefs does send a concerning message in terms of the Government's commitment in those spaces? Does the cabinet secretary recognise that, although she is a very talented member of the Government, it is a huge brief, a very brief brief, and having a minister responsible for both older people and for security distinctly would be of great help, I think, to everyone involved in tackling poverty. Cabinet Secretary, I am quite happy to take compliments when they are given from members of the opposition in particular. I say, with the greatest respect to the member, one of the aspects that Governments normally criticise for his Government being too big, is that there are too many ministers. Now, we seem to be encouraged to have more ministers in my portfolio now, while I may welcome them. That, as part of the portfolio, I think that, as you can see from the front bench today, we are ably supported by a range of ministers and we will be delighted to work together with the member and others in all parts of the portfolio. Question number six, Katie Clark. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what its responses to reports are for 224 eviction cases involving tenants lodged with the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland in the month to 15 March. Minister Patrick Harvie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. We understand that the 224 figure quoted by the member relates to the number of eviction hearings or case management discussions scheduled to take place up to 15 March 2023. That is not the number of eviction applications by the tribunal. Each application can have a number of hearings or discussions and will therefore not be the same as the number of applications received. The Emergency Cost of Living Act doesn't prevent landlords from serving a notice to leave or making an application to the tribunal. The tribunal will still make a decision on whether to issue an eviction order or decree. However, enforcement of the eviction must be paused for up to six months except in certain narrowly defined circumstances. Kate Clark. I thank the minister for that answer and I am pleased that the Scottish Government has confirmed the monetarium on evictions plus a rent cap would remain in place until September. However, the number of eviction cases being lodged in a given month actually appears to be higher than before the eviction ban due to various loopholes in the legislation. The ban does not apply to those with the rears of six months of more to social tenants with debts of more than £2,250 or where the landlord chooses to sell the property. Will the minister be willing to look at whether it might be possible to remove those loopholes and how that would impact on the real situations that tenants are faced with? Obviously, we continue to keep the operation of the act under continual review and we will report regularly to Parliament as the act requires us to do. I think that the member will recall debates during the passage of the legislation on the question of rent arrears. I made the case that although the arguments are balanced in some ways, the help that people with rent arrears need is not simply to be stuck where they are building up ever more unpayable debts. The help that they need is in the form of direct assistance and that is what the Government has made available in other ways. Rather than thinking that we would go back and unpick the legislation that was passed with the support of Labour colleagues, let's make sure that we continue to operate as effectively as we can to give tenants in Scotland the protection that they so badly need and which is so completely lacking in other parts of the UK. Question 7, Colin Smyth. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by Independent Age, which states that one in seven people in Scotland over the state pension age live in poverty. Minister Emma Rottick. The Scottish Government is of course concerned about anyone living in poverty and committed to tackling it and recognises the specific inequalities that apply to older people. The Scottish Government has consistently called for the UK Government to provide additional support to assist people with the cost of living crisis. However, the Chancellor has failed to deploy the full range of powers available to him to make a real difference to people's lives. The Scottish Government recognises the pressure on household budgets, which is why last year and this, we have allocated almost £3 billion to support policies which tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the on-going cost of living crisis. Colin Smyth. I thank the minister for her answer and I also wish her well in her new role. Too often there is a misconception that older people are well off, but the minister will know that the number of people in later life living in poverty in Scotland has risen by 25 per cent since 2012, as well as looking at more immediate action to combat this rise in poverty. Can I ask the minister in her new role if she will give serious consideration to the recommendation in the independent age report and the long-standing call by Age Scotland for the establishment of an older people's commissioner for Scotland to properly amplify older people's concerns, including what is all too often that hidden problem of poverty in later life? I absolutely appreciate the concerns that the member is raising, but we do not have plans at the moment to introduce legislation to establish an older people's commissioner. There are existing commissions that protect the rights of older people, the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission. They already play a role in relation to the rights of older people in respect of age as a protected equality characteristic. In addition, we continue to work closely with the Older People's Strategic Action Forum on a range of priorities for advancing age equality. We are committed to promoting the rights of older people and ensuring that they benefit from all that we are doing to improve people's lives. That is why we provide over £2.2 million to support older people's organisations to tackle the inequality and discrimination and support our aim to support the rights of older people. I welcome the minister to her place. As all MSPs are aware, the state pension is reserved to the UK Government, and under successive Labour, coalition and Tory governments has been one of the lowest relative to wages in Europe. Does the minister know of any commitment by the Labour Party, which seeks to continue Westminster control of pensions to significantly increase the state pension, the most effective way of reducing pension or poverty, or is just more opposition grandstanding? Minister. No, I am not aware of any substantive proposals from the Labour Party that would reduce pension or poverty, which was a major issue for older people even before the current cost of living crisis. As the member will know, the levers to reduce pension or poverty, including control of the levels of state pension and pension credit, do lie with the Government at Whitehall, and only with the full powers of a normal independent country could we properly tackle this, but we will continue to call on the UK Government to ensure that all pensioners are encouraged to take up the benefits that they are entitled to in full. And supplementary mass breaks. Thank you, Deputy Minister. One of the facts which sometimes is not taken in this argument around older citizens is the fact that they often are undertaking caring roles in our society, not just of loved ones, but grandchildren, great-grandchildren. So can I ask specifically when does the Scottish Government intend to deliver the national kinship care payment which the Government has committed to, and also the extension of a period of time for which care is allowance will be paid following the death of a cared for person? Minister. The member raises a very important point, but I think I will ask the minister with specific responsibility for that portfolio to get in touch with him with a full response. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it will work with local authorities to ensure access to local services, including leisure facilities for local communities. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Scottish Government believes that everyone should have access to local services, including leisure facilities that help to support the physical and mental health of the nation. We will work in partnership with local government to ensure that the people of Scotland continue to receive high-quality public services, but we understand the challenging financial circumstances faced by local authorities largely due to the cost of living crisis. We have increased the resources available to local government at £793 million in 2023-24. However, it is for local elected representatives to make decisions on how best to deliver services in their communities. Maurice Golden. I thank the minister for that answer. The minister will be aware that Dundee has been without a local swimming pool since the Olympia shut down for repair in 2021. The facility was only opened in 2013, and yet taxpayers are now footing a £6 million repair bill. With so much disruption and money at stake, it is just common sense to hold an independent inquiry, so it is bizarre that the SNP-led council refused to do that. Does the minister agree that Dundee residents deserve answers that only an independent inquiry can provide? Minister. I am obviously very well aware of the circumstances in Dundee and the challenges in that place. I know that the council is working hard to make sure that people continue to have access to swimming facilities and are particularly focusing on making sure that children have the ability to learn to swim using the network of swimming pools in Dundee schools and the leisure facility in Lohi. On the point of an independent inquiry, matters have been rightly raised by the council scrutiny committee, which is led by opposition councillors. The convener is the leader of the Labour group and the two deputy conveners are the leader of the Liberal Democrat group and the Conservative group. If we are asking for an independent scrutiny, then I cannot see how an opposition-led committee has not managed to do that. That said, I absolutely get the frustration of people and I am very hopeful that it will be too long before the Olympia does open. Thank you minister. That concludes portfolio questions on social justice, housing and local government. There will be a very short pause before we move on to the next item of business to allow front-bench teams to change positions should they so wish.