Funding to deal with issues arising from the Grenfell tragedy: FOI release

Information requested

1. “I am writing to request how much money was provided by the Westminster government to the Scottish government to deal with issues arising from the Grenfell tragedy?”.

2. “Further how much of this money has been spent and when?”.

3. “Where has the money been spent and in which parts of Scotland?”.

4. “How many buildings have been assisted with this funding?”.

5. “Does the Scottish government have a comparable plan to the Westminster government to impose taxes on property companies and developers to fund current and future repairs to high rise buildings in Scotland?”.

6. “What is the time frame for resolving issues arising from Grenfell in Scotland and what date has been set to ensure that properties are safe for owners and tenants?".

 

 

Response

1. “I am writing to request how much money was provided by the Westminster government to the Scottish government to deal with issues arising from the Grenfell tragedy?”.
The Scottish Government received £97.1m in Barnett consequentials following the UK Government’s announcement in March 2020.

2. “Further how much of this money has been spent and when?”.
An exemption under section 27(1) of FOISA applies to the information requested because we intend to publish that information within 12 weeks of the date of your request. We consider that it is reasonable to withhold the information until that date, rather than release some of this information before the planned publication date. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is some public interest in release because our planned publication was within this 12 week period. In the meantime, there is a greater public interest in taking the time necessary to ensure the information has been properly collated and checked before it is published as planned. Also, we see no public interest in disrupting our programme of work to release the information ahead of the intended publication date.

3. “Where has the money been spent and in which parts of Scotland?”.
The Single Building Assessment Programme is actively supporting 25 blocks across Scotland within the local authorities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

4. “How many buildings have been assisted with this funding?”.
Please see response to question 3.

5. “Does the Scottish government have a comparable plan to the Westminster government to impose taxes on property companies and developers to fund current and future repairs to high rise buildings in Scotland?”.
While the Scottish Government has some powers over taxation, the majority of tax powers remain reserved to the UK Government, including those which would best address the issue of how to fund current and future repairs to high rise buildings in Scotland.

6. “What is the time frame for resolving issues arising from Grenfell in Scotland and what date has been set to ensure that properties are safe for owners and tenants?”.
Our approach is firstly to understand the scale of the issue, to clarify the number of buildings affected and make buildings safe. This will pave the way for determining remediation costs on a building-bybuilding basis and allow people to buy, sell or remortgage without difficulty.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.