 Mae tynge oedlau hynny, o fe mwyfio, nid yw'r fforddau. Y cwylwyr yw'r ystod o bwyswys ar gyfer y cael cwestiwn cyffredinol, i gydigiariaeth i gydigion pobl yn cyfosibl, yn gyfer os pwyllwydd i ddadig sy'n gwyllfa i ddefnyddio a gwyfelly ar gwyllwy. Alexander Barnett Ysgrif Weinidog ond, gyda'r amser cymygwsoedd o wnaeth hyn gyffredig, cyfryddiaeth hwnnw, iawn cyfligio ar gyfer Ysttwins. Kevin Stewart? O'r eu cyfreithwyr, mae Llywodraeth sefydlu chyfr wedi ffac guysigio sydd y Cymru yn cyfrifwyr gyda rai cyfrithwyr siwet.jalad yn 2010, Llywodraeth sefydlu ar gyfer 12 miliwm ydw i gyfer cyfreithwyr cymru ar gyfer Llywodraeth seciwet, ten Parks and City, a ryw deithasol darwch ddwyb. Allocations are made at a local authority level and are not disaggregated to constituency level. Local authorities are responsible for choosing the areas where measures are offered and the types of measures. They are required to focus on areas with higher levels of fuel poverty. Alexander Burnett I am sure that my constituency will welcome the minister's warm words. With the existing Homes Alliance showing 20,000 homes in Aberdeenshire West are cold homes, will the minister support the Conservative manifesto commitment to allocate 10 per cent of the capital budget to energy efficient measures? Kevin Stewart What would have been useful if Tory Governments had not cut successive capital budgets and beyond that if they had dealt with schemes appropriately south of the border? We are spending £103 million to tackle fuel poverty and to increase energy efficiency this year, which is £103 million more than we are spending south of the border. In terms of his own constituency, area-based schemes to install energy efficiency measures have been carried out across the West Aberdeenshire area, including Inch, Echt, Huntley, Afford, Aboyne and Bancrie, with further schemes planned for Monimusk, Lumsden, Rhiney and Huntley. If Mr Burnett wants to join with me and ask his Tory colleagues south of the border to increase capital budgets, I would welcome his help in that regard. Mike Rumbles To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how the loss of jobs in the oil and gas sector has affected homelessness in the north-east, and what action it has taken to mitigate that. Kevin Stewart Both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils have advised that there has been no increase in homelessness presentations in either area. That is supported by Scottish Government statistics, which show homelessness applications in both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire fell continuously throughout 2015 and in the final quarter of that year, at its lowest level for 14 years when electronic recording began. In addition, both areas have seen a reduction in private rental costs. The homelessness legislation provides a safety net for all unintentionally homeless households. That is a strong form of mitigation if people are in danger of losing their homes. Additionally, all 32 local authorities are focused on the prevention of homelessness through the housing options approach. That enables a local authority to look at all the options available to households, which may include a homelessness application. Mike Rumbles It is quite clear from the minister's reply that neither he nor other ministers in the Scottish Government have made an assessment of homelessness as a result of the downturn in the gas industry. It is a rather complacent response. I do not think that it is good enough to ask just Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils historically what is happening. There is anecdotal evidence to say the least of which I can make them available if he wishes to pursue this, and I hope that he does. Kevin Stewart I am certainly not complacent when it comes to the north-east of Scotland. As I stated, the homelessness stats from Aberdeen City and Shire and Aberdeenshire fell continuously throughout 2015. There were new homelessness statistics yesterday, which shows that homelessness was dropping. I will say to the member that I will analyse that further, but what I will say to Mr Rumbles is that this Government will continue to focus on homelessness. We have some of the best homelessness legislation in the world, and he can be assured that I will continue to scrutinise all of the figures. Maurice Corry A new report has been put forward by Your Move, and it found that typical rents rose by 1.3 per cent in the month after the introduction of the land and buildings transaction tax surcharge. It has also concluded that rent controls would not help matters. Maen nhw, rwy'n credu i'r cwyrraeth, Mr Corry. I called you for a supplementary to the question about homelessness in the north-east. I think that you have gone on to your own question. I am sorry, I think about, yes. Maen nhw, rwy'n credu i'r cwyrraeth. I don't know. Maen nhw. Rwy'n credu i'r cwyrraeth. If their name is on the order paper for a question, they do not need to press their button. They should press their button for a supplementary to another question. Maen nhw, rwy'n credu i'r cwyrraeth. Maen nhw, rwy'n credu i'r cwyrraeth. Colin Beattie To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the meeting of the joint ministerial working group on welfare on 16 June 2016. Angela Constance I am pleased to say that the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work and I had a productive meeting of the group, and I look forward to this being a meaningful way of taking forward the important work of transfer and social security powers and welfare benefits to this Parliament in the years ahead. At the meeting, we discussed terms of reference and set out a programme of work over the next 12 months. I have written to the relevant parliamentary committees updating them about the meeting, and we will continue that process following future meetings. Colin Beattie I thank the cabinet secretary for her response. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that there is a sufficiently strong working relationship between the Scottish Government and the DWP to the extent that it will ensure that the cabinet secretary is satisfied that robust data provision will ensure that welfare benefits transition is seamless and no Scottish recipient will be disadvantaged? Angela Constance Mr Beattie is right to highlight the importance of robust data provision and that sharing of information. It is early in my relationship with the DWP, but I have been encouraged by the meetings that we have had. I believe that both Governments have the safe and secure transfer of benefits as a priority. I am clear that we will work hard to ensure that no one will be disadvantaged as a result of the transfer of powers. Ensuring access to data will be part of the process. I am pleased that it is marked as a priority area over the next 12 months. Adam Tomkins I thank the cabinet secretary for keeping the Social Security Committee fully informed of the meeting of the joint ministerial working group. It is important to have a common understanding of practicalities and timetabling of commencement in relation to the transfer of social security powers. Does the cabinet secretary envisage that that common understanding will include any sort of transitional period where some functions of the Scottish Social Security Agency will continue to be administered by the DWP? If so, does she have any sense of how long this period might be likely to last? Angela Constance I am grateful to Mr Tomkins for his question and for recognising that, as a Government, we are determined to keep committee informed every step of the way, not just about notifications of the joint ministerial working group but also the outcomes from those discussions and, indeed, we will release the joint community following every meeting. Game scales are important. We have a manifesto plan over the next five years. The detail that we will get into and that we have commenced with UK Government ministers is about commencement. He will have seen that there is a tranche one commencement. The Secretary of State for Scotland will have to take that through by order, through the UK Government. He is hopeful that that will be done before the UK Government or the UK Parliament rises for recess, but we need to carefully work out not just commencement dates for tranche two but also how we will work together to implement the various responsibilities that are coming our way. We will lead legislation and, crucially, it is about how we deliver the powers that we get. We will be working hand in glove with the UK Government so that we have a plan in recognition that we have not done anything of the scale or size before in the history of devolution. Question 4, Bob Dorris. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that housing allocation in the social rented sector takes consideration of tenants in moderate housing needs. Kevin Stewart. Under housing law, social landlords, that is councils and housing associations, are responsible for the allocation of social housing in Scotland and are expected to allocate their housing on an objective assessment of housing need. In general, those with the highest need will be given the highest priority. I believe that that is the right approach to allocating a limited resource. We recognise that there are many people who would like social housing, but are having to wait a long time for a suitable house to become available. The Scottish Government is committed to preserving and expanding its social housing stock as part of creating a fairer society. That is why we have legislated to end the right to buy on 1 August this year, which will prevent the sale of up to 15,500 houses over the next decade and why we have already announced our bold and ambitious more-home Scotland approach, which will deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes, 70 per cent of which will be for social rent. Bob Doris. I thank the minister for that answer. Those in moderate housing need can wait many, many years for an offer for a suitable home, given that those in greater housing need to understandably allocate homes first on that priority basis. However, everyone should be able to have the prospect of having their housing needs met at some point in their lives. I therefore ask the minister whether he would give consideration acknowledging the independence and flexibility that social landlords have to give greater priority to the length of wait on housing waiting lists with social housing providers and what guidance exists to offer flexibility or recommendations in such matters. Some of my constituents will never, ever get a move. They will be a long period of time and those in greater need to move in quickly, understandably and get their house, but others are trapped forever. Kevin Stewart. Social landlords already review their allocation policies periodically. In addition, when we implement the Housing Scotland Act 2014, we will be introducing changes to the law and allocations. We will publish guidance on those provisions later this year. Social landlords will then need to review their individual allocation policies to ensure that they comply with the revised legislation when that comes into force. As part of that process, landlords will of course need to consult tenants and applicants about their allocation policies. Given that landlords will already be reviewing their allocation policies, I think that we should give some time to make sure and see what happens there. Social landlords can already give points for time spent on the waiting list, as long as that does not outweigh points given for housing need. While I recognise that some applicants are frustrated by having to wait a long time for an offer of housing, I think that giving priority to those in greatest need is the right approach. I reiterate that one of the things that this Government is doing is ensuring that we meet that ambitious target of 50,000 affordable homes, 35,000 of those for social rent, which will help some of the folk that Mr Doris has described in his question. Alex Johnstone Having rejected the UK Government's approach to the under-occupancy issue, can I ask if this Government is considering any action of its own design to try to free up the vast amount of space that is within the social rented sector that is simply under-occupied and is not being addressed? I am very surprised to hear a member of this Parliament defending the bedroom tax. What I will say is that this Government will get rid of the bedroom tax as soon as we have the power to do so. I think that there are other means that housing associations and councils can take in terms of dealing with some folks who are maybe in a house that is maybe too big for their needs now. Some authorities have previously helped people with housing new moves and have offered grants for folk to move out of houses, which maybe have too many bedrooms for their needs. However, one of the things that this Government certainly will not do is that we will not penalise the most vulnerable in our society with the regressive policies such as a bedroom tax. 5. Ivan McKee Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed planning legislation will ensure that new housing developments comply with the aspiration of the Scottish planning policy. Angela Constance Presiding Officer, we will bring forward proposals for further planning reform, including a planning bill later in the year. In the meantime, we expect development plans to reflect the Scottish planning policy and its commitment to enabling the delivery of new homes. Ivan McKee In the Rob Royce area of my constituency, where work has begun on what will ultimately be a 1600 house development, the local community is rightly concerned about the lack of clarity around the provision of local facilities in an area that is already suffering from lack of such provision. Is the Government minded to accept the recommendation of the independent review of the Scottish planning system, which states that we need to put an infrastructure first approach to planning and development, including the provision of local services and social facilities? Angela Constance Presiding Officer, we certainly agree that there needs to be far stronger links between planning for housing and its supporting infrastructure. Communities need far more than homes to live in, which is important, though they are. We accept many of the recommendations of the independent review of planning, but we are considering all the recommendations in more detail. Mr McKee talks about the infrastructure first principle as an approach for planning and development. We will set out a full programme of planning reform later in this year. Thank you, Presiding Officer. With reference to the same report and with specific reference to the principle of collaboration rather than conflict, inclusion and empowerment, will the Scottish Government give consideration to reinstating the requirement for local authorities to notify the Government when their development or city plan has been breached? And if not, what plans do they have to give community some other alternative in ways of addressing such decisions where the city plan has been breached so that they feel much part of the system? Angela Constance Mr McKee raises some important points. The purpose of the planning review was very clear. I think that it's time had come. I think that there is a cross-party consensus that we need to review how planning operates in this country, not least to ensure that we are able to achieve our ambitions around increasing the supply of affordable housing. However, the point that she raises about community involvement and community engagement is very important. I was pleased to see that the independent planning review did make some important recommendations in that area. We are, as we move forward, we want to get some early wins from the plan in the review because not everything will require legislation, but it won't be too far in the future before we're ready to respond in detail to the 48 recommendations that came from the review. We're not getting on very quickly here, so I could ask for some shorter supplementaries and shorter answers from ministers, please, if possible. Your time has come, Mr Corry. Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister. I apologise for the early intervention there. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle high rents. The Office of National Statistics' most recent official statistics show that private rents in Scotland increased by 0.5 per cent over the last year, from April 2015 to April 2016. The Private Housing Tenancies Scotland Act 2016 will provide clarity and predictability in rent increases where rents can rise only once in 12 months, and tenants will have a three-month notice of changes to enable them to budget accordingly. In addition, councils will have the ability to apply to ministers for a cap on rent increases in their area for up to five years. The Scottish Government continues to value social housing with affordable rents and gives it a high priority for funding because of the security and protection that offers people who are on low incomes or who are vulnerable in other ways. We are committed to building a further 50,000 affordable homes, 70 per cent of those for social rent. Maurice Corry. Does the Scottish Government agree that the best way forward is to solve the issues of high rents is to tackle housing shortages and build 100,000 new homes over the next five years? Kevin Stewart. We are committed to building 50,000 affordable homes. As I pointed out to one of Mr Corry's colleagues a few weeks ago, his amendment the other week, which talked about 100,000 homes, 50,000 affordable homes from Government, and 50,000 in the private sector, would be a decrease in what has happened in recent times. Last year, the private sector built 12,000 homes in Scotland, and I hope that we will be able to build many, many homes across all 10 years over the next parliamentary session. A quick supplementary please, Mr Finlay. At the election, the housing minister posed with a poster stating that it is time for rent controls in Dorsan 11 rent campaign, and I welcome his public commitment to that. So today, will Mr Stewart set out the timescale for introducing legislation to enact his pledge? Kevin Stewart. The private housing tenancies act addresses the problem of excessive rent rises for sitting tenants in the private rented sector. Local authorities will be able to apply to ministers to set a cap on rent increases for sitting tenants in areas where significant increases in rents are having a detrimental impact on tenants. We should wait and see and analyse what happens when those powers come into play, and then analyse that and take other decisions after that. Question 7, Neil Bibby. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of post-offices on town centre economies. Angela Constance. Presiding Officer, as was set out by the Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills in his written answer to Mr Bibby last month, the Scottish Government recognises and prioritises the importance of our town centres and local high streets through our town centre action plan. We also recognise the importance of post-offices to local communities and economies in Scotland. Post-offices and postal services are, of course, reserved, and we have made it clear to both the UK Government and Post Office Ltd that they have a responsibility to ensure that the availability of existing services is maintained across Scotland. Neil Bibby. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The cabinet secretary is aware that post office Ltd are proposing to close paisley crown post office and move services into a WH Smith store. Thousands of customers have signed the CWU's petition against the move, but concerns are not just limited to customers and staff. Concerns have also been raised by local businesses about the impact on the town centre economy by the reduction of a footfall at the current location. I therefore ask the cabinet secretary if she shares with me concerns about the impact that such proposals could have on town centres. Given her remit for town centres, will she speak to her ministerial colleagues and use the Scottish Government's influence to urge the post office Ltd to reconsider in this particular case? The Government is always more than willing to reiterate our views either to the post office Ltd or to the UK Government. We recognise that post offices are important to local communities and local economies. As local members, we will all have experienced post office closures or relocations in our constituencies. Obviously, relocations are preferable to closures, but post office needs to be transparent about what is driving the particular proposals that are for Paisley. I note the member's motion on the matter. It is crucial that local people are listened to and that they deserve the facts and the opportunity to be part of a solution as well. 8. Alison Harris To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address occupational segregation. Angela Constance Occupational segregation is a complex and deep-rooted problem, but we are determined to make progress. That is why it is a top priority for the Government's developing the young workforce programme, which has set very ambitious targets to increase the gender minority share in the most imbalanced college subject groups and modern apprenticeship frameworks by 2021. We are also investing up to a total of £1.5 million over the next three academic years through the Scottish Funding Council in a programme of equality projects across colleges and universities. We will also look to the new advisory council on women and girls to help us to identify what additional action is needed to be taken by us and others to tackle that very serious issue. Alison Harris Occupational segregation is one of the barriers that prevent women from fulfilling their potential in the labour market. It is vitally important that women have the opportunity to work in traditionally male-dominated industries. A report from Close the Gap shows that the latest figures in science, research, engineering and technology professions are 78 per cent male-dominated. What steps is the Government taking to ensure that women have the opportunity to learn skills in STEM subjects to enable them to embark in careers in science, research, engineering and the technology sector? Angela Constance That is a subject that is close to my heart. Ms Harris is right to say that occupational segregation is indeed a barrier to women either entering the labour market or reaching their full potential once they are in the labour market. It is most certainly a drag also on economic growth. It is very important that we have a systems-wide and a very comprehensive response to this issue. It is something that I am sure will debate in more detail this afternoon. I would point the member to the important work that we are doing around developing the young workforce, which is about challenging some of those stereotypes. Of course, we need to start challenging those stereotypes much earlier and well before children get to secondary school. I have touched on the work that both the funding council and Skills Development Scotland are doing in terms of their specific action plans, but it is important to recognise that entries and passes in STEM qualifications are actually increasing. Although, when you scrape below the detail, there are some concerns around computing science, for example, and we have more women in our college sector studying science and maths and engineering. We also have more science undergraduates as well, but I do not think that we dispute that there is still some journey left to travel. To ask the Scottish Government what issues were discussed at the first meeting of the joint ministerial working group on welfare. In addition to my remarks earlier to Mr Beattie's question with regard to our programme of work, we also discussed at the joint ministerial working group commencement of the 11th of the 13 welfare provisions in the Scotland Act 2016. Richard Lyle I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. We already have seen the incredible uptake of the Government's Scottish welfare fund and its help that it is offering to those in communities across Scotland. Therefore, I ask the cabinet secretary what the projected impact will be on the further social security provision as a consequence of the austerity agenda being pursued by the United Kingdom Government. Angela Constance We know, Presiding Officer, that the impact of austerity is severe. The previous UK Government's package of welfare reforms actually took out £2.5 billion from the Scottish economy in 2015-16 alone. Today, we have also published our annual report on welfare and it demonstrates I think the scale of the challenge and the squeeze and incomes as a result of austerity. We will always do what we can to protect people from the worst of those measures, but we have to recognise that we will gain powers. Over 15 per cent of social security spend in Scotland, 85 per cent of that spend will remain under control of Westminster. That means that we cannot redress all of the unfairness that exists in the current UK Government system. Monica Lennon To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to reviewing the planning guidelines on the proximity of waste management facilities to residential areas and community facilities. Kevin Stewart Thank you, Presiding Officer. Scottish planning policy is clear that planning authorities should consider the need for buffer zones between dwellings or other sensitive receptors and certain waste management facilities. We have no plans to review the policy at this time. Monica Lennon Thank you. I draw attention to my register of interest as a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and an elected member of South Lanarkshire Council. I am disappointed to hear that. I would like to ask the minister if he would undertake to meet me and my constituents in Whitehill and Hamilton where a decision was taken by the Scottish Government to grant plan permission on appeal, which is out of step with its own guidelines in Scottish planning policy. I note the planning review and the commitment to empower communities, but we have a very recent example of public trust being broken. It is very much a live issue, and I would welcome the minister coming out to try and learn some lessons with my community. Kevin Stewart I am quite happy to meet Ms Lennon to discuss that. Scottish planning policy paragraph 180 is clear that development plans should enable investment opportunities in a range of technologies and industries to maximise the value of secondary resources. I do not know all of the ins and outs of the Whitehall decision. I am willing to meet Ms Lennon if she contacts my office, we will arrange that and maybe we could possibly do that before the end of term. Richard Lyle I thank the minister for his answer. It is actually Whitehill and it is in my constituency of Onyxton in Belfast. What powers local authorities have to recall decisions made in relation to planning permissions and waste in my facilities near residential areas and community facilities? As I know that Ms Monica Lennon is at Stoller Council in South Lanarkshire, what action would South Lanarkshire take to recall that? Planning authorities have powers to revoke planning permission under section 65 of the planning act. Where planning permission is proposed to be revoked, agreement of Scottish ministers is required. Where planning permission is revoked by planning authorities or Scottish ministers, the planning authority is liable for any claim for compensation, so planning authorities have the right to revoke that planning permission. Gordon Lindhurst My question is to ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of the retail industry to discuss Government investment in town centres. Angela Constance The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the Scottish Retail Consortium and other partners, such as Scotland's Towns partnership, to take collective action to revitalise Scotland's town centres. Most recently, officials attended the Scottish ratepayers forum meeting with the Scottish Retail Consortium on 20 June, where a number of issues were discussed, including investment in town centres. Gordon Lindhurst I thank the minister for that answer. From the answer, she no doubt is aware of the concerning figures that have been released by the Scottish Retail Consortium, showing that Scotland's high street has seen slumps and sails with falls across all retail categories, dropping some 3.3 per cent year on year in April of this year. I appreciate that there has been a welcome slowdown in that drop just in the last month, but I am sure that she agrees that the Scottish Government should recognise the important contribution that town centres make. My question therefore, as a supplementary, is this. Will the Government today commit to supplementing the first two tranches of the town centre regeneration fund that were originally successful in ensuring proper funding to continue the essential services and shops that we see in the Scottish town centres? Angela Constance I can say to the member that I am indeed aware of those figures. It is important to recognise that, in terms of the work done around the town centre action plan, which was a result of the national review of town centres, the Scottish Retail Consortium was very important members of that review group. One of the main findings of that work was that town centre regeneration has to move beyond the provision of retail. It has to have wider focus on public services and community enterprise to complement the retail offer in a town. There is a wide range of actions that are required, but not just by Government. I am also conscious of time, Presiding Officer, but I am also conscious that the finance secretary is sitting just two seats away. Obviously, as a Government, we will bring forward our spending plans in due course, but as a Government, we have invested a considerable amount in regeneration. A lot of those regeneration funds are also available to town centres, but there has been some very targeted funding for town centres. To ask the Scottish Government what impact reductions in local government budgets are having on communities. The 2016 local government settlement funding package was firmly focused on the delivery of joint priorities to deliver sustainable economic growth, protect front-line services and support the most vulnerable in our communities. The shared priorities will improve outcomes for local people. We have protected the council tax freeze for the ninth year, providing much-needed financial relief, particularly to vulnerable groups. We have invested £250 million in integrating services and improving educational attainment by maintaining the pupil-teacher ratio in Scotland schools and taking into account the £250 million for health and social care integration. That means that the overall reduction in local authorities' total estimated expenditure is less than 1 per cent. Neil Findlay I do not know what planet the minister is living on. In communities across Scotland, bus services are being cut, jobs are being lost, community groups are losing funding, and education attainment gap is growing. That is bad for our economy, it is bad for social cohesion and the wellbeing of families, and, as always, it is the poor and vulnerable who suffer most. Will the minister commit today to making it clear to her Cabinet colleagues that she will not tolerate any real terms cut in her departmental budget? Angela Constance Of course, Mr Findlay is his usual constructive self and the way he conducts himself in this chamber. Perhaps I would just remind him of a comment that was made by councillor John McGinty, Labour leader of West Lothian council, who I quote on 18 February. He says, "...we have a budget that focuses on and meets the needs of local people, whilst protecting services that have the greatest impact on the most vulnerable members of our society." Kenneth Gibson The cabinet secretary would recall that Neil Findlay abstained on voting for her against EU membership when it was debated in this chamber last month. Can she tell us for Mr Findlay's benefit what the impact of Brexit is likely to be on Scotland's public finances on top of the £1.5 billion that was cut from 2016 to 2020 by his better together allies in the UK Tory Government? Does she share my astonishment at the litany of Tory MSPs who come here week-in, week-out demanding more money to be spent across the board when it is their Government that is cutting our budget? Mr Gibson, your question is over. The Chancellor has said that tax rises and spending cuts will be needed to deal with the economic impact of leaving the European Union, but he has stopped short of announcing an emergency budget. What is clear is that there will be an economic impact, and this will feed through into public finances. Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy is engaged closely with Her Majesty's Treasury and counterparts and other devolved administrations to further our economic interests. Of course, it is for Mr Findlay to account for the positions that he holds. 13. Mary Evans To ask the Scottish Government how rates of house building in Scotland compare to the rest of the UK. Kevin Stewart Presiding Officer, the 15,954 new-build homes completed in Scotland in the 12 months to December 2015 equates to a rate of 297 homes built per 100,000 population. That rate is higher than all other areas of the UK, where it was 261 in England, 219 in Wales and 287 in Northern Ireland. Over the lifetime of the previous Parliament, we surpassed our target by delivering 33,490 affordable homes, and within that 22,523 social homes, including 5,992 council homes. Since 2007, our sustained high-house building has enabled 41,000 more homes to be built under this Government that would have been built at England's lower per capita rate. That is the equivalent of a new town the size of Paisley. Mary Evans Can the minister provide an update on how many jobs are expected to be supported by house building schemes over the course of this parliamentary session? It is estimated that our 50,000 affordable homes target will support approximately 14,000 full-time equivalent jobs a year in the construction and related industries in Scotland over the next five years. In addition, it is estimated that our current help to buy scheme will support around 2,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the construction and related industries in Scotland a year over its three-year lifespan. It may well be higher than the rest of the United Kingdom but, nevertheless, Scotland has a house in crisis that needs to be tackled. The Government has committed to 35,000 social rented houses over the next five years. Do you have a national house build plan in place to deliver how many of those will be built this year and what planning is taking place to ensure that those houses will be built, much needed houses, year on year? Our more homes Scotland approach is bringing all aspects of that together to ensure the delivery of those 50,000 affordable homes and 35,000 for social rent over the parliamentary terms. I can assure Mr Riley that I am having conversations on a day and daily basis with our partners to ensure that that ambitious target is met. That ends parliamentary questions. May I ask everyone to note that we only manage 13 of those and that is about the length of the questions and indeed the length of the responses from Government ministers. Can I ask people to think on about that over the summer perhaps?