Communities Committee,

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Official Report 343KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Registered Social Landlords <br />(Purposes or Objects) (Scotland) Order 2006 (SSI 2006/211)

The order amends section 58 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to add the provision of shared equity housing to registered social landlords' permissible purposes or objects. Shared equity, as it will operate with the assistance of Executive funding, will provide that an owner has full title to a property but shares the equity on it with a grant-funded body.

The introduction of a shared equity scheme follows the 2004 affordable housing review. A formal consultation on the policy of shared equity was published in November 2004 and the responses showed general support for shared equity schemes to meet identified housing needs.

The Subordinate Legislation Committee raised a question with the Executive and considered the Executive's response at its meeting on Tuesday 9 May. The Subordinate Legislation Committee agreed to draw the order to the attention of this committee on the ground of defective drafting in that a definition of shared equity terms should have been included in the order.

Do members have any comments to make on the order?

What do we do about the defective drafting?

My understanding is that the Subordinate Legislation Committee has advised the Executive of its dissatisfaction at the inadequacy of the drafting. It will be for the Executive to reflect on that.

It is not the first time.

As Christine Grahame points out, it is not the first time; the same kind of situation has arisen before.

Having noted the point that the Subordinate Legislation Committee raised, is the committee content with the order?

Members indicated agreement.

Therefore, the committee will make no recommendation on the order in its report to the Parliament. I ask committee members to agree that we report to the Parliament on our decision. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.