Official Report 1072KB pdf
Social Justice and Housing
Good afternoon. The next item of business is portfolio questions, and the portfolio this afternoon is social justice and housing. I remind members that questions 5 and 7 are grouped together. I will therefore take any supplementaries on those questions after both have been answered.
Devolved Benefits (Spending)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the social justice secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding how to manage any growing funding gap created by higher spending on devolved benefits. (S6O-05018)
I met the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government and the Minister for Public Finance in April to discuss the fiscal sustainability delivery plan and public service reform strategy, and more recently, in September, for a review of portfolio spending as part of the budget and spending review process. Discussions will continue between ministers as we work through the budget and spending review process during the coming months.
The minister might be holding meetings, but the meetings are not solving the problem, because the minister’s complacency about the benefits black hole that she is creating is staggering and fiscally irresponsible.
We should not be surprised because, whether through the soaring number of highly paid public sector workers or the ballooning cost of benefits, this Government is surely and stealthily building a client state for electoral advantage. Is it not the case that it will be ordinary hard-working Scots who are already struggling to pay their bills who will pay for that reckless welfare spending through higher tax and poorer public services?
I wonder how Craig Hoy’s statement would have gone down with the parents of disabled children and young people whom I met this morning. They talked about the fact that the support that they get from the Scottish Government through social security is an important part of the support that a society should be providing for people.
As Craig Hoy goes through his pre-written comments, I wonder whether there is another paragraph that tells us whether he is going to take money away from disabled people, people on low incomes, carers and the children and young people whom I met this morning.
That is where the disappointment comes, and it is where Craig Hoy and the Scottish Conservatives’ true colours are shown. They have absolutely no sympathy for the fact that there are people in our society who are struggling. They have absolutely no compassion for disabled people, their carers or those on low incomes. That is telling to members in the chamber and to people throughout the country.
Is the cabinet secretary in discussion with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care about the creation of a neurodevelopmental pathway for adults? Many of them are economically inactive and are desperate to get the services that have been denied to them so far. That would not only help them to get back to work and reduce the dependency on benefits but ensure that we have economic growth where we desperately need it.
I am very happy to carry on the discussions about neurodevelopmental pathways for children, young people and adults. Mr Rennie is probably already aware of the fact that, very recently, I announced an employment and employability support programme for disabled people, which will be available across the country.
When I launched that service, I spoke to an autistic young person who had benefited from it. The importance of that service is revealed by what it gave them—with support, they were able to move from economic inactivity into a job in which they are thriving and in which the company is benefiting greatly from their skills. I am happy to pick up with the health secretary the issues that Mr Rennie mentions.
The Scottish Conservatives keep raising the topic of expenditure on benefits, but they continue to shy away from the question of whose benefits they would see cut.
I am proud that the Scottish National Party Government—unlike successive Westminster Governments—continues to prioritise the most vulnerable people in our society through higher social security spending. Will the cabinet secretary outline the impacts that that prioritisation is having on child poverty in Scotland?
Rona Mackay again gets to the nub of the issue. I can only presume—and Craig Hoy can feel free to continue to shout from a sedentary position if I am wrong—that part of the cuts that Mr Hoy wants would be to the Scottish child payment, which is forecast to keep 40,000 children out of relative poverty this year. Perhaps he would like us to keep the two-child benefit cap, rather than mitigating that, which is estimated to result in 20,000 fewer children living in poverty. We take very seriously our requirements to provide a robust system for social security, but I am also exceptionally proud of the support that we continue to give, particularly to young people.
Larger Families
To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the work of its ministerial population task force, what action it will undertake to support people to have larger families, should they want more children. (S6O-05019)
Our population strategy sets out our ambition that Scotland is the ideal place to raise a family, where people are enabled to have the number of children that they wish to have. It is not for Government to dictate or influence whether people should have children, which is, rightly, a matter for individuals. The ministerial population task force continues to consider fertility trends, and we are engaging with the United Kingdom Government on its parental leave and pay review to ensure that any new provision supports working families in Scotland.
Last year, Scotland’s total fertility rate fell to 1.25, which is the lowest since records began in 1855. Given that a population needs a fertility rate of 2.1 just to remain constant, that demographic decline will have profound consequences for us all. Does the minister agree that that is an existential concern for Scotland? What policies does the Scottish Government believe can make a real difference in arresting and reversing that depressing trend? Please note that I am asking not about immigration but about the birth rate.
I share the member’s interesting views on our changing demographics. Falling birth rates are a trend across many high-income countries, with, as the member said, significant implications for our economies, communities and public services. We are committed to learning from other countries. In December 2024, the ministerial population task force considered potential international lessons from family-friendly policy interventions.
We are currently exploring next steps in the Scottish context, including scoping further research into the role of parental leave uptake on decisions to have children. From our 2022 attitudes to family formation research, we know that childcare is an important factor in people’s decision to have children. Through our addressing depopulation action plan, we are funding local authorities in depopulating areas in the Western Isles and in the north-west of the Highlands to scope and deliver, where possible, childcare interventions that support families to live and work there.
Social Security Scotland (Veterans Support)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the work that Social Security Scotland is engaging in to support veterans in accessing its services. (S6O-05020)
We welcome the Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s report and the recommendation to improve access to devolved benefits for veterans. Social Security Scotland’s chief executive recently met the commissioner to discuss shared priorities, including the report and how access could be improved in the Scottish social security system. The agency will work with the Scottish Government to provide a response to that report in due course.
In designing its processes, the Scottish Government is taking into account the views of veterans and Social Security Scotland trained staff to deliver person-centred support. Support for veterans is currently available within existing services without their having to go through a separate process.
Last month’s report by the Scottish Veterans Commissioner recommended that veterans who are accessing benefits through Social Security Scotland should be identified and supported by staff who are trained to be veteran aware and that veteran support needs to have a clear, designated point of contact. That recommendation was made even more urgent when last week’s figures showed that 925 veterans in Scotland made a homelessness application in the past year. I am sure that the whole chamber agrees that that is not acceptable. Will the minister confirm that the Scottish Government will implement the Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s recommendations in full and consider creating a veterans network in Social Security Scotland, so that veterans can get support from those who most understand their lived experience—other veterans?
The way in which the service is designed in Social Security Scotland means that it has already considered a range of interests and the needs of many seldom-heard groups such as veterans. It is important that Social Security Scotland staff are trained to deliver person-centred support right across the range of benefits that they now deliver, regardless of background or need, and that they provide tailored support for the individuals. That is why I reiterate the point that the agency is working through the recommendations in that report to see what can be done to ensure that the service that is being provided is working for all, including our veterans.
That work will continue, and the work that the chief executive has already undertaken alongside the commissioner is part of that process of ensuring that we are delivering for all.
The Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s annual report found that there was poor progress on preventing veterans’ homelessness in 2023-24 and that there was incremental progress in 2025. What further work is the Scottish Government carrying out in conjunction with other public bodies to ensure that no veteran is forced to declare themselves homeless and that they can access benefits from Social Security Scotland?
I will begin with the actions that are being taken around devolved benefits. It is particularly important that we recognise that there are seldom-heard groups that find it difficult to access benefits—veterans are one of them, but they are not the only one. Many of those groups face shared challenges, so, if we can get the system right, we will be able to benefit not just veterans but others, too.
That is exactly why we are tackling areas such as the challenge that many people are not aware of the benefits that they are entitled to or are unaware of the support to enable people to apply for the benefits that they are entitled to. Social Security Scotland is unique in the United Kingdom in delivering local support to ensure that people get help in applying for their benefits.
I recognise that there is, as Alexander Stewart says, an obligation not just on the Government but on local authorities to provide services for our veterans to ensure that they are not homeless. That is very much the prevention part of the work that we continue to do, and I have to say, Presiding Officer, that it is therefore disappointing—
Thank you, cabinet secretary.
—that the opportunities in the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which the Scottish Conservatives did not—
I am keen to get a supplementary question in from Keith Brown.
It is essential that veterans receive the best support possible in recognition of the valuable contribution that they have made. The cabinet secretary may be aware of the campaign for fair compensation for veterans for hearing damage caused by defective ear defenders—an issue that I can attest to and that underlines the importance of ensuring that veterans can access the support that they are entitled to.
Will the cabinet secretary update members on the wider work that the Government is undertaking, in addition to what she has already said, with Social Security Scotland to reduce barriers to social security take-up, particularly for seldom-heard groups? Did the cabinet secretary see the “Good Morning Britain” report this morning, which showed that, when issues for veterans are created by the Ministry of Defence and the United Kingdom Government, there is no support for the Scottish Government in looking after the interests of veterans?
I did not see that report, but I will make sure that I am furnished with a copy of the transcript, to see what is going on there.
Keith Brown raises an important issue about ensuring that we all, and all our public services, have a responsibility to our veterans, which is why I will end the point about my disappointment that the Scottish Conservatives did not support our Housing (Scotland) Bill, which included an obligation on all our public services to respond to veterans’ needs. It is disappointing that they did not take up that offer to help veterans and others.
Question 4 has been withdrawn.
RAAC (Tillicoultry)
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with residents in Tillicoultry who were evacuated from their homes two years ago when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete was discovered. (S6O-05022)
When residents are notified that their home may contain RAAC, it is the responsibility of individual local authorities to lead on providing advice and support to them.
Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with all local authorities that have been impacted by RAAC to discuss progress. On 4 September, Clackmannanshire Council representatives attended the first meeting of a new RAAC in housing leadership group, which I convened and which I chair, to share best practice and expedite progress. Following my commitment to meet residents who have been affected by RAAC, my officials are in the process of agreeing an appropriate date to meet residents and Clackmannanshire Council.
The owners of the flats in Tillicoultry feel bitterly let down by Clackmannanshire Council, and it is very important that they are heard. They were given barely two hours’ notice before they were evacuated from their homes by the council. In the two years since then, none of them have been allowed to re-enter their homes. Residents’ remaining possessions will probably be bulldozed into the ground along with the flats. That is a brutal way to treat people who have lost their homes. What can the cabinet secretary do to help residents to get their remaining possessions back? Will the cabinet secretary join me in meeting residents in Tillicoultry?
I will respond to the last part of Mark Ruskell’s questions first: yes, I shall. My officials are currently in touch with campaigners to agree to a date.
On Mark Ruskell’s question about possessions, there will be a safety issue when entering dangerous buildings, but local authorities would normally allow facilitated access. I would expect local authorities to keep those who have been affected up to date, provide them with advice and, where possible, facilitate access. I take away Mark Ruskell’s points about residents’ remaining possessions and will raise them with my officials. I will also ask that they be raised with Clackmannanshire Council.
RAAC (Tillicoultry)
To ask the Scottish Government when the housing secretary will meet with those constituents from Tillicoultry affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, following the commitment to do so that was made in early August. (S6O-05024)
As I mentioned in my response to Mark Ruskell, we met Clackmannanshire Council at the new RAAC in housing leadership group on 4 September and I am in dialogue with campaigners in Clackmannanshire to agree a date for me to meet them in situ. I understand that 19 November has been offered; I think that that date works for campaigners and I am waiting to see whether it works for the council.
The issue goes beyond Clackmannanshire Council. As the cabinet secretary will be aware, the United Kingdom Government was aware of the risks of RAAC before devolution. Given the previous convention in many other areas for Westminster to cover pre-devolution legacy costs, is the cabinet secretary disappointed that the UK Government has not taken responsibility for RAAC and is making no contribution towards resolving the issue, which I agree is very important for my constituents in Tillicoultry?
Yes, I think that it is essential that the UK Government comes to the table on RAAC, which is present in housing throughout the United Kingdom. As Keith Brown has set out, it is present in properties that were sold under the right to buy, which far predates devolution. Moreover, the UK Government is the only Government in the UK that has the financial flexibility to respond to unexpected costs. One of my first acts in post was to write to the former Deputy Prime Minister, who was formerly the housing secretary. Following the UK Government’s unexpected reshuffle, I have written to the new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to make the case for a UK-wide fund and have set out my expectation that he addresses me on that.
RAAC was unforeseen and has been devastating for communities, not only in social housing. In Motherwell, we also lost our theatre and concert hall and it has affected local churches. I understand that the cabinet secretary is in contact with the UK Government but, given the scale of the problem and the constraints on the Scottish budget, is it not vital that the UK Government steps up to form some sort of RAAC remediation fund?
It is. I reiterate that the presence of RAAC across the United Kingdom, coupled with the fact that the affected properties were largely sold under right to buy pre-devolution, alongside the UK Government’s financial flexibilities, mean that it is the only Government across the United Kingdom that is in a position to offer a national remediation fund. As I said, the former Minister for Housing and I have made representations on that, and I will continue to do so. I also intend to use the newly convened RAAC in housing leadership group as a further attempt to bring the UK Government to the table to face up to its responsibilities.
RAAC remediation is a postcode lottery in Scotland. We have heard about the heartbreaking scenario of yet another group of home owners who are, sadly, going to lose their homes. I find that absolutely heartbreaking.
I do not agree with the idea that this is all on the UK Government. The Scottish Government can find money down the back of the sofa when it wants to, so why will it not back home owners in Scotland who are impacted by RAAC? I will ask the cabinet secretary what I have asked her before: will she finally confirm whether the Government will give financial assistance to home owners who are impacted by RAAC?
I am afraid that Meghan Gallacher’s characterisation of the way in which Governments set budgets and prudently spend public money is completely inaccurate and reflective of a lack of understanding of how Government works in this country. I have set out the number of ways in which I am committed to supporting residents who are affected by RAAC, including meeting residents, convening meetings of leaders who are dealing with the issue, driving progress and trying to share best practice.
A practical point that I would put on the record, which is much more pragmatic than some of the nonsense that we have been hearing from the Conservatives today, is that a real issue that needs to be worked through is the availability of mortgages once RAAC at a property has been remediated and a green status provided to that property. I will be using the leadership group to try to work with UK Finance and the Chartered Institute of Insurers to reach a resolution on that important point.
Housing Emergency
To ask the Scottish Government what the key barriers are to tackling Scotland’s housing emergency. (S6O-05023)
The conditions that have led to Scotland’s housing emergency reflect long-standing, complex and interconnected challenges. I have often characterised recent years as having been a perfect storm of failing economic conditions across the United Kingdom, driven not least by Brexit and inflationary pressures, coupled with the extraordinary pressures that have been bearing down on households over recent years. My colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice has alluded to some of that this morning.
That has created a perfect storm of strain, but the combination of our housing emergency action plan, which was set out on 2 September, and the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which was passed on 30 September, responds to those challenges.
Even if we were able to tackle the economic and financial challenges—and I believe that we need to look at every option to do so—there would still be major housing issues.
I have read the Government’s housing emergency action plan and, believe me, I want it to deliver. I welcome the fact that it talks about a whole-system approach. Does the cabinet secretary recognise, however, that a whole-system approach means that we need to address the major challenges in planning, which include the underresourcing and understaffing of planning services?
At the same time, we must address the skills shortages in the construction sector. Has the cabinet secretary looked at the document that Shelter Scotland published today on delivering an end to Scotland’s housing crisis? It talks about the establishment of a new national housing and land agency that would centrally drive housing programmes in Scotland—
Cabinet secretary.
—while working with local authorities at the local level.
I thank Alex Rowley for his question and for taking the time to read the emergency plan, which I deliberately kept short, sharp and action focused so that it was readily accessible. I thank him also for his party’s support for the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which the Conservatives could not bring themselves to support, even though it is life-changing for people who face homelessness.
Mr Rowley is right. It is up to all of us—Government, Parliament and industry—to create the right conditions for growth and for confidence in an all-tenure approach to housing in Scotland. Through our plan, we provide multiannual funding certainty, coupled with increased funding and a growth target of 10 per cent per year. That is underpinned by action in planning to make it more efficient and to drive proportionality. I want to put on the record in particular the Scottish Government’s creation of the planning hub, which is able to provide surge support to authorities, and our investment in recruiting more planners.
The cabinet secretary and I are both aware of a case where a developer is ready to put shovels in the ground, yet delays persist because paperwork has not been signed off. I have raised this in the chamber and I have written letters, while the developer, who, for nearly two months, has been ready to start on site, has also reached out, but with no conclusion. If this situation continues, investors will simply take their projects elsewhere. The Scottish Government might say that it is serious about house building, but can the cabinet secretary honestly say that that is matched by any action?
As I have set out in response to a letter that Sharon Dowey wrote to me, I am not able to comment on the specifics of any planning application. Planning is a semi-judicial process and it is not for ministers to get involved with.
On the general point about proportionality and speed and making sure that planning facilitates development and does not hinder it, that is very much something that I am aware of. I have mentioned the planning hub and recruitment. Our action plan speaks to actions, too. I draw Ms Dowey’s attention to the work that the planning minister and I have been doing in respect of stalled sites. We are actively brokering relations between developers, planners and the Government to try to unlock those sites that have permission but are not moving forward.
I can squeeze in question 8 if I have succinct questions and answers to match.
Aberdeen City Region Deal (Housing Infrastructure Fund)
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £20 million housing infrastructure fund that was launched in 2016, as part of the 10-year Aberdeen city region deal, has been spent. (S6O-05025)
The housing infrastructure fund forms part of our affordable housing supply programme. A commitment was made in 2016, alongside the 10-year Aberdeen city region deal, that £20 million of infrastructure funding would be made available. The HIF enables funding for housing developments that have stalled or cannot proceed due to excessive costs or the nature of the infrastructure works that are needed. It is the responsibility of councils to bring forward eligible HIF projects. Neither Aberdeen City Council nor Aberdeenshire Council has submitted any projects that would meet the fund criteria.
First, I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that I was a councillor at Aberdeen City Council at the start of this parliamentary session.
While I was council leader at Aberdeen, we found it impossible to access that cash, which is why zero of it has been spent. Calls by my colleague Liam Kerr to use that £20 million pot to compensate reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete home owners in Torry, which I would have thought was a good solution, have fallen on deaf ears in this Scottish National Party Government. Will the cabinet secretary reach out to both Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council to find ways for that money to be spent on housing before it is lost to the north-east?
The housing infrastructure fund is well used throughout the country, so I do not recognise Douglas Lumsden’s characterisation of it. He ought to catch up a little bit. Today, I have written to Aberdeen City Council to confirm that its request for £10 million to meet the cost of RAAC remediation does not meet the criteria of the housing infrastructure fund. I have instead invited the council to submit a proposal for additional grant support through the affordable housing supply programme for the equivalent amount. That will not only help the council to meet the cost of remediation from within its budgets but make a valuable contribution to Scotland’s supply of affordable housing.
That concludes portfolio question time. There will be a short pause before we move on to the next item of business, to allow front-bench teams to change positions, should they so wish.
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