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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 14 November 2024
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Displaying 782 contributions

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Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Housing Emergency

Meeting date: 13 November 2024

Paul McLennan

I have only a short time in which to speak.

Many private sector stakeholders have welcomed clarity on the rent cap’s form. In spring 2025, we plan to launch a consultation to seek views on how to ensure that powers to exempt certain types of provision from rent control can be used in a way that stabilises rents for tenants in rent control areas while new and improved rented housing continues to be delivered. The consultation will consider new housing that is built specifically for private rent, including mid-market rent properties and other purpose-built private rented accommodation, which have been referenced on a number of occasions. Our approach balances immediate actions to meet urgent housing needs with the establishment of a stable long-term framework.

That is also underpinned by the work of the housing investment task force, through which we have engaged with investors and developers to understand how a rent control system can work for tenants while supporting private investment. Input from the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations has provided valuable insights into how rent controls will impact on social landlords who offer mid-market rent provision.

I want to touch on a few points that members made, but I particularly thank Mr Harvie for his work on the bill. He was right to mention—he was the only member to do so—that incredibly point about tenants’ rights.

Meghan Gallacher mentioned the number of landlords. Their numbers actually increased by 3 per cent between August 2022 and September 2024. Polling shows that rent controls are supported by 82 per cent of people in Scotland, including 61 per cent of Tory voters. I have mentioned that to Mr Briggs previously.

I want to come back to the point that Mr Griffin made about funding for housing, including capital funding. If the Scottish Government brings that back and increases the funding, will he vote for that? He and his colleagues will have to vote for it to make sure that we get increased funding. I will continue to push that point.

I thank Willie Rennie for his comments and I take on board what he said. I know that the cabinet secretary has met him and I would be happy to engage with him in the future.

Gordon MacDonald touched on outside factors, such as the local housing allowance rates freeze, and there has also been a 62 per cent cut in financial transactions. Mr Carlaw also talked about cuts to funding, but his Conservative UK Government made the choice to cut our capital budget. The right to buy also came through his party, and that made a major impact.

Let us be clear: a vote for the Tory motion will be a vote to scrap the Housing (Scotland) Bill, rent controls and homelessness prevention duties, and a vote to ignore poverty. We will not redraft the bill to solve every economic problem. We will continue to take decisive action across Scotland to deliver the housing that our communities need. The bill gives renters certainty, progresses homelessness prevention duties, quickens investment into housing and tackles child poverty and poverty more generally. Members should support the SNP amendment.

17:01  

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Housing Emergency

Meeting date: 13 November 2024

Paul McLennan

It is just over a month since the cabinet secretary and I last updated the Parliament on the Scottish Government’s response to the housing emergency. During that time, we have continued to make significant progress, especially in working with the local authorities that face the greatest challenges with homelessness and temporary accommodation. Let me be clear that addressing the emergency requires partnership, and I record my thanks to all local authorities that have intensified their efforts in support of our shared goals.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government continues to directly support individuals, here and now, by providing £7.9 million to mitigate shortfalls in local housing allowance rates, thereby helping to protect tenancies. The UK Government’s freeze of local housing allowance is disappointing. That policy began under the Conservative Government and now, disappointingly, continues under Labour. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation called it “deeply worrying” that no social security adjustments were made to effectively address homelessness and reduce hardship.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Housing Emergency

Meeting date: 13 November 2024

Paul McLennan

The money could be used for a number of purposes. We are working with local authorities to provide flexibility in the grant funding that they receive.

Short-term actions, such as reducing social housing voids in partnership with local authorities, are already making a difference, but long-term solutions are crucial. The Housing (Scotland) Bill will play a vital role in reforming the rental sector and preventing homelessness by building on Scotland’s existing protections.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Housing Emergency

Meeting date: 13 November 2024

Paul McLennan

I have only five minutes. I will pick up on some of the points that the member mentioned earlier.

We remain committed to implementing long-term rent controls to ensure that rents are affordable, which is essential in tackling poverty, especially among families with children, as has been mentioned by a few members today. The rent cap must also apply between tenancies to provide stability for tenants. However, we aim to balance our approach to ensure continued investment in the private rented sector, thereby expanding the supply of quality, affordable options for rent.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 7 November 2024

Paul McLennan

We are making more than £14 billion available to councils in 2024-25 to deliver a range of services, including homelessness services. That is topped up by our multiyear £100 million ending homelessness together fund. We are also introducing new homelessness prevention duties.

The United Kingdom Government’s decision to freeze local housing allowance is disappointing and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that private renters will feel let down by that choice.

We are also investing more than £90 million in discretionary housing payments to help families meet their housing costs and, on Thursday, we announced further rent control measures to protect tenants and keep people in their homes.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 7 November 2024

Paul McLennan

The member makes an important point and raises a number of issues. The prevention duties and domestic abuse protocols are very important and we have been engaging on those with local authorities and Scottish Women’s Aid. Her point about single-sex temporary accommodation is an incredibly important one that I raise with local authorities when I meet them. I would be happy to engage further with the member on that point.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 7 November 2024

Paul McLennan

I remind the member of her party’s involvement in austerity during the 17 years that she mentions. The local housing allowance that I mentioned was frozen by her party for a number of years.

On top of the figures that I mentioned, we have made an additional £40 million investment in affordable housing this year to deal with voids and acquisitions, taking our overall investment to more than £600 million. We are also providing an extra £2 million to local authorities facing the most significant pressures on temporary accommodation and are supporting councils to target plans that will address local challenges.

If the member wants to see the continued investment that I have mentioned, I hope that she will vote for the Scottish Government budget, which will be brought forward in the next few weeks.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Housing (Scotland) Bill

Meeting date: 31 October 2024

Paul McLennan

Emma Roddick has raised that point on a number of occasions. Requiring all rent increases to be assessed or approved by an external decision maker would be resource intensive and administratively burdensome for landlords. The Scottish Government considers that the majority of landlords are good landlords that seek to comply with legislation and to provide a good experience for tenants who are living in their properties.

However, for cases where an incorrect rent increase is proposed, either in error or because the landlord chooses to act unlawfully, routes for challenge are provided in the bill. Before making an application to a rent officer or tribunal under those routes, a tenant will be required to make their landlord aware of the issue and to give them reasonable time in which to respond. That will give landlords an opportunity to resolve cases of genuine error.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Housing (Scotland) Bill

Meeting date: 31 October 2024

Paul McLennan

We are talking about rent controls today, but the Housing (Scotland) Bill also mentions homelessness prevention duties, as Mark Griffin is well aware. We are consulting and working very closely with the sector on that.

As I mentioned to Meghan Gallacher, one key thing is to give certainty, which the sector has been saying to us over a number of months. That is what we are trying to provide today. We have already had extensive consultation with the sector as we have developed the bill, and it still goes on in terms of the timeliness of the bill. We will continue to have extensive consultation, including with local authorities, investors and registered social landlords. The consultation has already been extensive, and it will continue to be so over the next number of months.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Housing (Scotland) Bill

Meeting date: 31 October 2024

Paul McLennan

I have been working closely with local authorities and I understand how they will use the powers. The matter of provisions being resourced properly is for the financial memorandum, and discussions are continuing. It is important to note that amendments on that point will be lodged for stage 2.

We are aware of existing data gaps in the private rented sector, so we have included provisions in the bill that will give local authorities the power to collect data directly from landlords, to underpin effective rent control area assessments. That engagement will inform any necessary longer-term data development work, thereby ensuring that we collect the right data in a practical and cost-effective way in order to support our long-term aspirations.