The Scottish government has earmarked an increase of £90m in the budget for affordable housing for next year. 

The government says it is on track to build 30,000 affordable homes over the course of this Parliament. 

The SNP are committed to building 50,000 new affordable homes during the next Parliament and in his draft budget speech, Mr Swinney announced the would be increasing the budget for affordable housing next year by £90 million enabling us to invest around £690 million in housing supply. 

Conservative MSP Gavin Brown asks what the priorities are for the housing supply budget in 2016-17. 

Welcome back to Holyrood Live's coverage of the Scottish Parliament on 3 February 2016.

The first debate on the Budget Bill will dominate proceedings this afternoon.

That kicks off at 2.40pm with Finance Secretary John Swinney leading the way. 

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Before that, at 2pm, portfolio questions focuses on social justice, communities and pensioner’s rights before moving on to fair work, skills and training.

That concludes our coverage of the Local Government Committee.

However, worry not if you hanker for more from John Swinney, this afternoon the finance secretary takes to his feet from 2.40pm to lead the debate on his Budget Bill.

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Before that ministers will be quizzed during portfolio questions.   

Committee convener Kevin Stewart says it would be very useful if the SPSO could highlight the organisations causing difficulties in its annual report.

This would allow the committee to move forward and try to create better services from the public and not naming and shaming is not a good enough reason for this not to happen.

Emma Gray from the SPSO says statistics about every organisation it has dealt with are provided.

Ms Gray says it is possible for analysis of these statistics to be done.

Mr Stewart says no-one on the committee has the time to produce the analysis required.

The ombudsman agrees to go away and think about this. 

SPSO Jim Martin says complaints keep reoccurring in certain areas in public bodies and that is why a learning and improvement unit is being developed. 

Mr Martin says when a complaint comes to the SPSO it comes from an individual who feels they have had a poor experience with a public body.

The ombudsman says sometimes a complaint will have a broader implication, for example any complaint relating to a death will be brought to his attention to enhance fast-tracking.

Once the complaint is concluded he says he will look at any broader implications, but he is restricted to looking at the individual complaint. 

His colleague Nikkie Maclean says the ombudsman are mindful of the impact that the investigations will have on the public body.

SNP MSP Willie Coffey asks if the complaints process system are different across different services.

Mr Martin says he is working on a complaints process that can be rolled out across the services.

He says he has no involvement with police complaints.

The aim is to have a simple straightforward complaints process which is the same across all services, he says. 

Mr Martin says the SPSO was the first ombudsman to make decisions public.

Image source, SPSO

He says each month there are 60 and 70 decisions made in the public eye and three or four more serious reports laid before parliament, all made accessible.

Committee convener Kevin Stewart asks how the SPSO is driving improvement.

Mr Martin says he has just under 50 people, 30 working directly on individual complaints brought in.

He says the ombudsman's training unit has 0.6 of a person

The fact that training materials are being produced by the SPSO  for use around the world for free, is a missed opportunity for revenue, says Mr Martin.

The ombudsman says bringing issues to committees in the parliament is very valuable.

Mr Martin says on the back of the Mid-Staffs inquiry, where deaths could have been prevented had the trust in England taken the complaints process seriously

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In Scotland's NHS the complaints procedure is now taken "very, very seriously indeed", he says.   

Mr Martin says he has a year to go as ombudsman and one of the most frustrating things has been not being able to follow through on a number of similar complaints.

The ombudsman says: "I can only look at individual complaints. 

"I think that is a wasted resource."

It means the ombudsman can not react to systemic issues and Scotland would be better served if he could flag up similar systemic problems.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) Jim Martin says by having a single complaints organisation under the SPSO is saving £1.5m year on year.

Mr Martin says there has been an increase in the number of complaints being upheld from 50% -70%.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman say they will become the independent, external stage of the review process from the 1 April when the new statutory funds come into existence. , external

This is not a complaints process. 

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As an independent reviewer, the ombudsman will be able to review welfare funds decisions made by local authorities and, where appropriate, change those decisions. 

The ombudsman have powers to direct local authorities to use the funds to provide the assistance requested; or another award, or to reconsider the application. 

They also have been given the power and responsibility to design a process and approach to reviews within some broad limits set out in the legislation. 

Jim Martin, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, says the Scottish Welfare Fund provision is being funded by the Scottish government. 

Paul McFadden details the preparatory work ahead of the responsibilities of the welfare fund being taken over by the ombudsman on the 1st of April. 

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The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO), external is the final stage for complaints about councils, the National Health Service, housing associations, colleges and universities, prisons, most water and sewerage providers, the Scottish Government and its agencies and departments and most Scottish authorities.  

Image source, SPSO

The committee now considers the Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/448) and makes no recommendations on it.

The committee will then take evidence from Jim Martin from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

Niki Maclean; Paul McFadden and Emma Gray from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman will also give evidence.

That ends the evidence session with Finance Secretary John Swinney on the draft budget. 

Committee convener Kevin Stewart asks about the funding formula for the allocation of funds to local authorities.

There will be no fundamental reform of this says the finance secretary.

Committee convener Kevin Stewart raises the issue of the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

The scheme has been of enormous benefit, says Mr Swinney.

It will be continued if the SNP win the next election he affirms.  

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