Help to Buy statistics: FOI release

Information requested

Help to Buy (Scotland) Scottish Government Shared Equity Programme allowed many first time buyers to purchase homes. I would be grateful if you can provide the following information. If you do not have the information, please provide an estimate based on as up to date data as possible.

1. How many applications were received for the programme?

2. How many homes were purchased with the Scottish Government having a share in ownership?

3. Confirm the amount invested/spent.

4. Confirm the amount regained following sale of properties that were purchased using the programme.

5. Confirm the amount regained following requests to reduce the percentage of share of equity.

6. Confirm projected amount due to be regained by end of this financial year.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.

1. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. The Scottish Government does not retain application numbers and this is linked to Scottish Governments data retention policy Shared equity schemes: privacy notice - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

2. The Scottish Government publish the information you have requested the tables are split by financial years and show homes purchased by local authority.

Help to Buy (Scotland) monitoring information 2013-2016: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) – period covers October 2013 to March 2016, “LA Publish” column C details how many homes by local authority were purchased with the Scottish Government having a share in ownership.

Help to Buy (Scotland) monitoring information reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) – period covers April 2016 to June 2023, “Table 2” column AK details how many homes by local authority were purchased with the Scottish Government having a share in ownership.

The current period from July to March 2024 two have been purchased with the Scottish Government having a share in ownership.

3. The amount invested/spent can be found in the published documents as referenced above. Please refer to “LA Publish” column D and “Table 2” column AL.The current period from July to March 2024 we have invested/spent £120,000.

4. The table below details the Scottish Government receipts received from the sale of Help to Buy properties from 01 April to 31 March.

Year	Amount
2023-24 latest figures to end of February 2024	(27,363,013.31)
2022-23	(41,271,806.21)
2021-22	(48,997,392.28)
2020-21	(37,519,383.83)
2019-20	(35,063,203.19)
2018-19	(22,849,172.76)
2017-18	(12,463,657.23)
2016-17	(6,608,141.40)
	(232,135,770.21)

5. The receipts received that relate to a percentage of the shared equity reduction (is referenced as Tranche ups by the Scottish Government) is estimated at £4,882,356 which is reported as part of the total receipts in the above table. The figure of £4,882,356 is an estimate due to incomplete data being held on these type of sales.

6. The 2023-24 receipts current forecast for the whole year is £28,890,000 to the 31 March 2024.

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.