Chamber and committees

Do you think that that is to do with the quality of the food options that are available in schools at present? Does that need to be looked into, to prevent young people from utilising premises outwith the school? Are you actively trying to find ways and measures to influence children and young people not to use those outside premises?

Do you have anything to add from your end, Jane?

I thank the cabinet secretary for providing advance sight of her statement. I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government is discussing an issue that is devolved to this Parliament, in a week in which we will spend three hours of valuable parliamentary time discussing foreign affairs.

It has been more than a year since the Parliament declared a housing emergency. At the time, many of us hoped that that would create an imperative on the Scottish Government to build more homes more quickly. Instead, just 7,444 affordable homes were completed in 2024-25, which was a decrease of 22 per cent on the previous year. That is around half the 15,000 affordable homes that housing charities say that we need to meet current demand.

Rather than increasing the affordable housing supply, the Scottish National Party has pressed ahead with a housing bill that will not build a single home. It has imposed disastrous rent controls on the sector, and nearly 5,000 landlords have exited the market in the past year. That figure is likely to rise unless the SNP makes housing a more attractive area for investment.

If the cabinet secretary is serious about tackling the housing emergency, will she commit to going further than she has today in attracting and utilising private finance to achieve the target of providing 15,000 affordable homes per year?

My final question is about brownfield sites, which you just referenced. We know that brownfield sites are associated with higher costs and that using them may involve remediation of contaminated land. NPF4 has a presumption of utilising brownfield sites. We need to make it more attractive for developers to better use the land. Is the Government considering any grants or additional mechanisms to make it more attractive for developers to use brownfield sites?

Minister, there is some confusion over the status of local place plans, given the complexities surrounding NPF4. I believe that the original intention was that they would be incorporated in the new local development plans, but that now seems unlikely, given that many community groups are well advanced in preparing their local place plans, and we are not going to see the new local development plans in place for quite some time.

I think that communities would be disappointed if local place plans amounted to an item on a wish list rather than being material factors in planning applications, as previous locality plans have been. What will the Scottish Government do to balance that out in order to make sure that communities are very much involved and that local development plans match local place plans, so that they work together as they should?

Many communities have completed their local place plans. With respect, I note that there is no mechanism for such plans to be adopted and for what communities want to happen to be brought to fruition. If local development plans are not going to be in place until 2028, there is an imbalance when it comes to how long communities might need to wait for any measures to be adopted or for feedback or direction from the local authority.

That is the feedback that I am getting from community councils and local communities. Their local place plans are already well advanced, but there is no communication from local authorities or the Scottish Government about when they will be adopted or about what parts of the local place plans will be included in the local development plan. There seems to be a bit of an imbalance. I am trying to ascertain how you will balance that out and how communities will be heard. How long will they have to wait before local authorities adopt local place plans?

How long will communities have to wait for the journey to be concluded?

The committee has heard evidence that overly rigid interpretation of NPF4 is potentially stifling development. Developers have stressed the importance of planning departments being properly resourced, local authorities being supported to adopt new LDPs within a good timeframe, and the chief planner continuing to give guidance to ensure that the objectives of NPF4 and LDPs are considered pragmatically, but also in the round. Evelyn Tweed made an important point about reviewing NPF4 to ensure that it is practical and that it is right for areas across Scotland.

The committee has heard evidence that the application of 20-minute neighbourhoods to remote and rural areas could stifle development or drive developers away. How do we overcome that? How do we encourage development and remove red tape so that development can happen in areas across the country?

Good morning. Evelyn Tweed asked about the minimum target of 25,000 new homes. The Scottish Government has a target: it is 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. Minister, you said that roughly 20,000 homes are being built each year. That is certainly not enough to achieve that target by 2032. In order for the Government to achieve its housing targets, what additional measures can be brought forward through NPF4, if that is to be the tool for getting those homes built?

Along with what happened at Grangemouth, the situation with Alexander Dennis represents a double blow to the people of Falkirk, and my thoughts are with them.

Following the loss of 400 jobs in Grangemouth, up to 1,600 jobs are now on the line as a result of Alexander Dennis being forced to relocate to Scarborough. When will the Scottish Government publish an economic impact assessment for the area?