Social Justice Committee, 18 Feb 2003

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Official Report 75KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

Item 2 is consideration of Scottish statutory instruments. I welcome Des McNulty, the Deputy Minister for Social Justice, and John Ritchie, the official who is accompanying the minister for consideration of the draft Housing Support Grant (Scotland) Order 2003.

Before we begin, it might be worth while to outline briefly the procedure for dealing with the two statutory instruments that are before us, although I am sure that the committee knows it all off by heart anyway. The first SSI is an affirmative instrument, so the deputy minister is required under rule 10.6.2 of the standing orders to propose by motion that the draft instrument be approved.

The second instrument is a negative instrument, and so is subject to annulment under rule 10.4 of the standing orders. Any member who is unhappy with such an order is required to lodge a motion proposing that nothing further be done under the instrument. No motions to annul have been lodged.

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Housing Support Grant (Scotland) <br />Order 2003 (draft)

Committee members have received copies of the draft Housing Support Grant (Scotland) Order 2003 and the accompanying documentation. I invite the minister to speak briefly to the SSI, but he should not move the motion yet.

I will be brief. The order sets out the amount of housing support grant that will be payable to local authorities in 2003-04.

As has been the case for a number of years, only the two councils with the highest debt per house, Shetland Islands Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar—no doubt the committee will keep me right on the pronunciation of that—will qualify for grant in respect of their housing costs. The total grant payable to those two councils in 2003-04 will be around £5.6 million. HSG remains a substantial proportion of the total housing revenue account income for those two councils. Without the subsidy, rent levels in those areas would have to increase substantially.

The other element of HSG is the hostels grant, which is payable to authorities on the basis of the estimated deficit between hostels' income and expenditure. In 2003-04, 21 councils will receive grant totalling some £4 million.

I am happy to answer any questions.

As there are no questions, I ask the minister to move motion S1M-3907.

Motion moved,

That the Social Justice Committee, in consideration of the draft Housing Support Grant (Scotland) Order 2003, recommends that the Order be approved.—[Des McNulty.]

Motion agreed to.

I thank the minister for attending. It was painless.

I hope that all the items are as short and sweet as that one.

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Housing Revenue Account General Fund Contribution Limits (Scotland) Order 2003 (SSI 2003/54)

The committee has before it a copy of the Housing Revenue Account General Fund Contribution Limits (Scotland) Order 2003 (SSI 2003/54) and the accompanying documentation. If no member has any comments on the order, is the committee content with it?

Members indicated agreement.

Therefore, the committee will not make any recommendation on the order in its report to the Parliament.

I ask members to agree that we report to the Parliament on our decisions on the two orders. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.