No assessment has been made on the impact of local housing allowance changes to groups of recipients in supported accommodation. The Scottish Government made clear it was concerned about the potential impact, and welcomed the announcement that funding for supported accommodation would be maintained at current levels. The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on people in supported accommodation, however Scottish Government are currently in the process of implementing a data collection which will provide some data on this.

The Scottish Government intends to protect the wide variety of tenants in supported accommodation and to use devolved funding to ensure that the supported accommodation sector is put onto a secure and sustainable footing. We will work with a broad range of stakeholders to achieve this.

The Equalities Action Plan (EAP) for Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland, published in December 2015, outlines the challenges to be addressed and the actions Skills Development Skills (SDS) will undertake with partners to improve the participation of under-represented groups within the MA programme. The plan can be found at: https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/40691/2869_sds_equalities_action_plan_digital_v7.pdf

SDS will publish the first annual report on the EAP progress shortly. The report will identify the activity that SDS has been undertaking to attract disabled people to MAs; to support them in applying for MA vacancies; and to support Training Providers in optimising success for young disabled MAs. Specifically in relation to young people with hearing impairments, SDS has:-

• delivered deaf awareness training to Training Providers in partnership with the Academy of British Sign Language (BSL);

• created a number of support resources, including the Equalities Toolkit, which identify how an employer / Training Provider can take positive action in recruiting young deaf people;

• raised awareness of the additional funding that is available to young people taking up an MA opportunity through Access to Work Funds and the MA Access Fund. These can be used, for example, to pay for a BSL interpreter for an apprentice.

Additionally, SDS has developed Regional Resource Guides which signpost where training providers, employers and partners can access support for young deaf people locally (deaf organisations such as NDCS, Action on Hearing Loss and Deaf Action are listed).

The UK Government has not begun discussions with the Scottish Government on the calculation of funding which will be devolved. We expect the UK Government to provide overall funding sufficient to fund supported accommodation at current levels, and we will work with the sector to ensure that the devolved funding reflects this.

Such discussions will be informed by the DWPs own research. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis to support our discussions with the UK Government.

The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on people in supported accommodation, however Scottish Government are currently in the process of implementing a data collection which will provide some data on this. As rents in supported accommodation generally exceed local housing allowance rates we would expect a significant number of those in supported accommodation receiving support for housing costs to be affected.

The Department for Work and Pensions are responsible for collecting and publishing data on housing benefit and local housing allowance (LHA). LHA rates are published at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/privaterent/tenants/Local-Housing-Allowance/figures. The Scottish Government has not made any assessment on the current shortfall between awards of LHA and rents. LHA rates currently only apply to the private sector.

No assessment has been made by the Scottish Government on the likely growth in demand for supported accommodation. The UK Government has undertaken a substantial body of research on the provision of supported accommodation across Great Britain which we understand will shortly be published along with a consultation paper. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis.

Local authorities are required by law to prepare a local housing strategy (LHS) supported by an assessment of housing need and demand. SG guidance on the LHS http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0045/00458185.pdf notes that the strategy has to clearly set out: the current need for specialist provision (accommodation and care/support services) that will help to support people to live independently; the likely requirement for this provision over the next 5 years; how current needs are being met using a range of accommodation types and what more is planned to meet future need.

Local Authority Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs) are produced every two years by local authorities. These are the key documents which identify the strategic housing projects to assist the achievement of the 50,000 target. SHIPs will be directly informed by the councils Local Housing Strategy and developed in consultation with key stakeholders.

Funding decisions are therefore based on the priorities of local authorities as identified in their Housing Need and Demand Assessments, Local Housing Strategies and Strategic Housing Investment Plans.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on people in supported accommodation, however Scottish Government are currently in the process of implementing a data collection which will provide some data on this.

The supported accommodation sector is complex and encompasses a range of different forms of accommodation, with different providers and meeting different needs. The UK Government has undertaken a substantial body of research on the provision of supported accommodation across Great Britain which we understand will shortly be published along with a consultation paper. When it is published we will consider this research carefully, and consider whether the Scottish Government needs to undertake further research or analysis.

We expect the UK Government to publish research on the provision of supported accommodation and a consultation paper with more detail on their proposed approach shortly, it would be premature to make any plans without this information.

The Scottish Government intends to use devolved funding to ensure that the supported accommodation sector is put onto a secure and sustainable footing and we will work with a broad range of stakeholders to achieve this.

Data on the training of midwives and health visitors in NHS Scotland is not collated or held centrally.