Ministerial Statement for modifying local connection referrals: consultation

Section 3: Consultation Questions and How to Respond

1. We are proposing to suspend local connection referrals between Scottish local authorities to remove barriers people face to accessing the support they need. The analysis of the 2019 consultation demonstrated that there is support for this position, although there are concerns about the potential for increases in homelessness applications and subsequent impact on statutory services.

Please give us your current views about the proposed suspension of referrals.

2. Considering the core content proposed for the Ministerial Statement (see section 2 – paras 31 - 33), please give us any suggested amendments with regard to the:

i. circumstances for modifying local connection referrals (see para 31)

ii. general criteria, by reference to which, the power to modify local connection is to be exercised (see para 32)

3. Please let us know about any suggested amendments you have to the factors proposed in para 33 for assessing whether the capacity of a local authority to meet its homelessness and housing duties is being adversely affected by any modification to local connection.

4. As set out in the 2019 consultation, we propose using HL1 data to monitor the impact of this change. Please let us know of any comments you have on this proposal.

Responding to this Consultation

We are inviting responses to this consultation by 23 October 2020.

Please respond to this consultation using the Scottish Government's consultation hub, Citizen Space (http://consult.gov.scot). Access and respond to this consultation online at https://consult.gov.scot/housing-and-social-justice/modifying-local-connection-referrals/. You can save and return to your responses while the consultation is still open. Please ensure that consultation responses are submitted before the closing date of 23 October 2020.

If you are unable to respond using our consultation hub, please complete the Respondent Information Form (provide below) and send to:

Stephen O'Connor
Scottish Government
Homelessness Unit (Legislation and Measurement)
Better Homes Division, 5 Atlantic Quay, Glasgow, G2 8LU

Handling your response

If you respond using the consultation hub, you will be directed to the About You page before submitting your response. Please indicate how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are content for your response to published. If you ask for your response not to be published, we will regard it as confidential, and we will treat it accordingly.

All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

If you are unable to respond via Citizen Space, please complete and return the Respondent Information Form included in this document.

To find out how we handle your personal data, please see our privacy policy: https://www.gov.scot/privacy/

Next steps in the process

Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public, and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public at http://consult.gov.scot. If you use the consultation hub to respond, you will receive a copy of your response via email.

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us. Responses will be published where we have been given permission to do so. An analysis report will also be made available.

Comments and complaints

If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted,

please send them to the contact address above or at Homelessness_External_Mail@gov.scot

Scottish Government consultation process

Consultation is an essential part of the policymaking process. It gives us the opportunity to consider your opinion and expertise on a proposed area of work.

You can find all our consultations online: http://consult.gov.scot. Each consultation details the issues under consideration, as well as a way for you to give us your views, either online, by email or by post.

Responses will be analysed and used as part of the decision making process, along with a range of other available information and evidence. We will publish a report of this analysis for every consultation. Depending on the nature of the consultation exercise the responses received may:

• indicate the need for policy development or review
• inform the development of a particular policy
• help decisions to be made between alternative policy proposals
• be used to finalise legislation before it is implemented

While details of particular circumstances described in a response to a consultation exercise may usefully inform the policy process, consultation exercises cannot address individual concerns and comments, which should be directed to the relevant public body.