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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 6 July 2025
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Displaying 916 contributions

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Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

National Planning Framework 4: Annual Review

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

Good morning. My first question is on targets for house building. We are in a housing emergency. There is a severe housing shortage and demand completely outstrips supply in all the different housing markets. I was interested in what Clare Symonds had to say about the 40,000 empty homes and the 24,000 second homes. I understand the points that she is raising but, even if those homes were to be brought back into use, that would not touch the sides of the present demand for housing and the need to build more homes if we are to tackle the housing emergency as a whole.

On that point, Homes for Scotland has asked for a minimum target of building 25,000 new homes each year to be established. How would that work, given that NPF4 has a presumption in favour of brownfield sites, which are of course more costly to build on, with serious issues in relation to the need to treat ground? Brownfield sites tend to be smaller development areas; they are not necessarily the larger areas that developers might need in order to tackle housing need in the areas concerned.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

National Planning Framework 4: Annual Review

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

I will try to put my last three questions together, because they are on the same issue. This morning, we have spoken a lot about out-of-date local development plans and the length of time that it takes to draft and adopt new ones. It would be good if someone wanted to expand on those points and on what we can do to accelerate the process.

We have also heard about the overly rigid interpretation of NPF4. There are policies, whether they are contained within NPF4 or sit outside it, that stifle development. One example of that could be the application of 20-minute neighbourhood policies to remote rural developments.

Does anyone want to expand on those points? The future of LDPs and where we go with them is an important point.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

National Planning Framework 4: Annual Review

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

I am completely supportive of what you have said about community empowerment and ensuring that communities are absolutely involved in development plans. We have local place plans, which communities are very much involved in. However, if we are not going to rely so much on the private sector, who on the public side of things is going to provide funding? That is the sticking point, as local government is completely up against it in terms of its finances. What are your thoughts on using public finance, rather than private finance, for developments? I do not think that we can have one without the other. We very much need the private sector to tackle the housing emergency.

10:30  

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Topical Question Time

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

This should not have happened in the first place. We are talking about convicted criminals—some of them violent or sexual offenders—whose records could, at any point, be obscured through self-identification and a legal name change. The cabinet secretary needs to provide clarity—I am pleased that she did so in her response—because we cannot have further instances happening in the future. We need to ensure that victims, women’s groups and the wider public have faith in the justice system when the Government looks at such issues, because we need to know whether there have been instances of authorities having missed a person’s criminal record because they changed their gender. Is the cabinet secretary absolutely sure that that instance was an isolated one? Is she sure that we will not return to the chamber to hear of any more such instances in the future?

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Topical Question Time

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

My next question relates to the point about data. Campaigners have called for a review of Police Scotland and Crown Office policy following the story that emerged in the press at the weekend. Given that a name change allowed an individual to separate himself from his criminal past, there needs to be a further investigation into the processes that Police Scotland and the Crown Office followed. We should not have had to wait until the initial incident took place and was reported in the press.

Record keeping is vital, especially in circumstances in which an individual changes—or can change—their name. Will the cabinet secretary commit to ending any practices by which a criminal can obscure their criminal record via a change of name or gender, to stop convicts hiding in plain sight before the authorities? Most importantly, can the cabinet secretary assure me and other members that safeguards will ensure that records are not misplaced in the system—which, as it stands, may be open to abuse, as we have seen through the story that was reported in the press?

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Topical Question Time

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

To ask the Scottish Government how many transgender prisoners have had their criminal records erased, following a self-identification process and changing of their birth name. (S6T-02590)

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Child Poverty

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

We are hearing the same thing time and time again. It is always someone else’s fault when it comes to the SNP failing to achieve its targets.

Over the years, the Scottish Government has promised to deliver a number of policies to eradicate child poverty, such as free laptops, free bikes, smaller classroom sizes, new swing parks and closing the attainment gap, to name just a few. However, not one of those policies has been delivered in full.

I want to go back to the important question that was raised by my colleague Liz Smith about the mitigation of the two-child cap. The issue comes down to finances. As Liz Smith rightly pointed out, the mitigation of that policy will contribute significantly to worsening the pressure on the social security budget. I will simply repeat the question, because I do not believe that the cabinet secretary answered it when Liz Smith asked it originally. How will that be funded?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

National Planning Framework 4: Annual Review

Meeting date: 3 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

I will pick up on what Esme Clelland said in her exchange with my colleague Mark Griffin.

It was interesting that Esme mentioned that point 1 of NPF4 is about the nature and biodiversity crises. No one is going to argue against that, but NPF4 was developed before a housing emergency was declared. She also mentioned that “hierarchy” is not the right word to use. We want to manage nature and biodiversity while ensuring that people have safe, secure and affordable homes. We need to look at the issues in that context. That is an important consideration when it comes to how we look at NPF4.

My first question relates to the adoption of NPF4. A lot of associated advice and guidance has been produced—some of which has been implemented, but some of it has not—and we have had working groups. What impact has that had on the ability of communities to engage meaningfully with the planning system?

I will start with you, Esme, because I picked up on the point that you made. Is NPF4 helping or hindering the development of local place plans?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

National Planning Framework 4: Annual Review

Meeting date: 3 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

Perhaps that is a question that we should take to the minister.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: Statement of Principles for Complaints Handling Procedures

Meeting date: 3 June 2025

Meghan Gallacher

Yes, because it is right that we consider the letter in relation to what we are doing here.