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ANNEX A: SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS

The deadline for responses to this discussion document is 25 January 2008.

We will aim to publish a summary of all responses to the consultation by the end of March 2008.

We welcome responses to every aspect of the discussion document, but we are particularly interested to hear views on the following specific areas:

Question 1: Do you agree that aiming to increase the rate of new housing supply in Scotland to at least 35,000 a year by the middle of the next decade is a sensible and realistic ambition, and that this will help set a necessary political context for acceleration in housing supply?

Question 2: Do you agree that, to give practical effect to the ambition, local authorities should co-operate regionally in setting realistic housing targets for housing market areas, and in enabling the delivery of these targets? If so, what arrangements should be put in place to support and provide incentives for such co-operation between relevant local authorities?

Question 3: Is there a role for a specialist national function to provide expert support for local authorities in strategic planning for housing? What expertise do you think this function would require?

Question 4: Even when land has planning permission there are still blockages that prevent new housing being built. What additional arrangements would, or could, accelerate development on land with planning permissions to help ensure that future housing supply targets are met?

Question 5: We have proposed that much expanded or new, stand-alone settlements may be a valid solution. How should we best encourage the development of new, sustainable communities that are sympathetic to Scotland's landscape and environment?

Question 6: How should different types of assistance within LIFT be targeted?

Question 7: How could the Government stimulate more innovative mortgage and related products and services to assist people in purchasing their first home?

Question 8: Should the Government provide direct cash grants to first-time buyers?

Question 9: How can the private house-building sector play a bigger role in providing, without public subsidy, increased provision of affordable starter homes?

Question 10: What issues do you consider should be taken into account when considering the increased use of private sector lets to house low-income and homeless households?

Question 11: How should we ensure an appropriate balance between safeguarding tenants' rights and encouraging the private rented sector to achieve its full potential in Scotland's overall housing market?

Question 12: Do you think there is sufficient engagement between the public sector and private landlords? If not, what else should national and local government be doing?

Question 13: What other options should we consider for increasing the supply of private rented housing for low income and homeless households?

Question 14: How could more private landlords be encouraged to let to tenants on benefits and homeless households?

Question 15: What other schemes or incentives might help us to recycle empty properties more effectively?

Question 16: Do you agree that we should exempt new build social housing from the Right to Buy?

Question 17: Do you agree that we should subsidise local authorities in areas of need to use their prudential borrowing capacity to build new council houses?

Question 18: Do you agree that we should introduce large-scale competitions for subsidy?

Question 19: If not, how would you ensure that public subsidy is used to build as many good quality RSL houses as possible?

Question 20: Do you agree that we should subsidise the development of houses for mid-market rent?

Question 21: If so, should the subsidy be awarded as part of the competitive regime for awarding HAG that we are proposing?

Question 22: If not, how would you increase variety in social housing?

Question 23: Do you agree that we should encourage landlords to look at means of adjusting the mix of their stock in the interests of achieving more sustainable mixed communities?

Question 24: Do you think that subsidies for development should be provided to bodies other than registered social landlords?

Question 25: What sorts of protections should be offered to tenants in these circumstances?

Question 26: Do you think that the Scottish Government should vary Right to Buy discounts by (a) locality and/or (b) type of property?

Question 27: Do you agree that ALMOs can provide a satisfactory alternative to stock transfers?

Question 28: Do you think that additional help from Government to enable landlords to meet the SHQS should be linked to improvements in a landlord's performance?

Question 29: If so, what measures do you think would be beneficial? If not, why not?

Question 30: Do you agree that we need to find new ways of focussing on the quality of place/open space and greenspace within deprived neighbourhoods?

Question 31: Do you have suggestions for approaches that are not resource intensive and that include stakeholders?

Question 32: Do you agree that the lead role (and recipient of any resources) to undertake this work should be open to a range of stakeholders?

Question 33: Do you agree with the features and principles we have set out here for a modernised regulation framework?

Question 34: How would you like social housing regulation to be organised? (For example, should it be a separate organisation or part of a group of other regulators?)

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