Mary Mulligan: The minister will be aware that the SFHA has given a figure of £249 million for front-funded housing projects. Does the minister agree with that figure? Can he confirm that the money will need to be repaid in this year’s budget for 2011-12?
Mary Mulligan: 16. To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in providing affordable housing in 2010-11. (S3O-13358)
Mary Mulligan: Among the statistics that have been released recently are figures that show that the number of houses that have been built for sale through the shared equity programme fell from 1,979 in 2009-10 to 657 in the nine months from April to December. Why does it appear that there will be a 50 per cent decrease in supply and what does the minister intend to do about that?
Mary Mulligan: At stage 2, I sought to introduce an amendment that would give some reassurance to those, including Local Government and Communities Committee members, who had concerns about the measures being introduced by the section on overcrowding. We all want overcrowding to be tackled and ended, but there were concerns about unintended consequences, including homelessness. My amendment at stage 2...
Mary Mulligan: I am sure that I am not the only one who feels a sense of achievement when we reach stage 3 of a bill, and that is especially true when one has been particularly involved through all stages of the bill. Therefore, I am extremely pleased to have reached stage 3 of the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill. Although I welcome the measures in the bill, it is also right to point out areas in...
Mary Mulligan: I offer my best wishes to Ted Brocklebank for all that he has done, particularly today. He said that his closing speech will probably be his last contribution; we should all remember that this could be our last contribution. I am glad to hear that he is a registered landlord. The debate has been very consensual—or at least that is what I was going to say until I heard Bob Doris. His speech...
Mary Mulligan: I am pleased to be able to take part in today’s debate. Everyone in Scotland is affected by local authorities’ ability to deliver quality local services, so the financing of those services is a critical issue for us all. I understand that this is a challenging time for public finances, but it is equally challenging for individuals. No one wants to increase financial burdens on...
Mary Mulligan: Let me make this point first. To understand the pressure that local authorities are under, we need only consider the kind of cuts that they are having to introduce. In West Lothian, the council decided to make a saving of £123,000 per year by axing free milk for pupils in primary 1 to primary 3 who were not on free school meals. With the new charge of 17p per carton, people will clearly be...
Mary Mulligan: I will finish these examples and then let Mr Brownlee in. The council increased those charges by between 28 and 44 per cent. The cost of a half-day visit will increase by £1.30—more than the average saving from the council tax freeze. The First Minister is very proud of his Linlithgow roots, and I am sure that he and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice have experienced the joys of the Low...
Mary Mulligan: We will come to that, Mr Brownlee. The other point that puzzles me—Mr McMahon mentioned this too—is that, although the SNP Government staunchly defends the council tax freeze, it does not use the same arguments when it comes to increases in council house rents or housing association rents. The Scottish Government claims that the council tax freeze is to protect the poor and the...
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive who will decide what the criteria are for accessing the Innovation and Investment Fund.
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be non-financial criteria for accessing the Innovation and Investment Fund and, if so, what criteria.
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive when the Affordable Housing Investment Programme funding allocations to local authorities for 2011-12 will be published.
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39113 by Alex Neil on 7 February 2011, what the estimated cost is of guaranteeing the loan finance of local authorities involved in the first tranche of National Housing Trust houses.
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has designated for the National Renewables Infrastructure Fund in 2011-12.
Mary Mulligan: This is one of those debates that we can all feel proud of taking part in. Let me start by congratulating Patricia Ferguson on all the work that she has done in bringing the Property Factors (Scotland) Bill to completion. She has acknowledged the support that she has received from others, including Mike Dailly and the non-Executive bills unit, but I think that everyone would agree that...
Mary Mulligan: We have had a very good-natured and positive debate, which reflects well on all those who have played a part in the bill’s development. I assure Mr McLetchie that we got through stage 2 very amicably, thank you very much; I am sure that that had nothing to do with him not being there. I said in my opening speech that I am pleased that landowning factors are to be included in the property...
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive when the £268.5 million identified in Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12 for housing supply will be distributed to local authorities.
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £268.5 million identified in Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12 for housing supply will be distributed to local authorities.
Mary Mulligan: To ask the Scottish Executive what formula will be used for distributing the £268.5 million identified in Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12 for housing supply.