Chamber and committees

Like Labour, the Scottish Greens are committed to providing support for tenants. In their manifesto, they committed to supporting student renters. They said that,

“regardless of housing provider,”

student renters would

“have the same protections as those with Private Rented Tenancies”

and that the party would

“Ensure that rent controls apply to student accommodation.”

Now that the minister is in Government, I want to check with him and get his confirmation that he stands by that and that the rent freeze will also apply to student accommodation.

I am sure that Mr Sweeney will join me in welcoming this development from the Scottish Government. Does he also agree that it is vital that we strengthen the appeal process, so that tenants who are faced with unreasonably high rents already are empowered to challenge those at tribunal?

The rent freeze is welcome, but does Ariane Burgess agree that it is vital for it to include rent increases that have been issued but have not yet come into force?

To ask the First Minister what progress the Scottish Government is making towards introducing an effective national system of rent controls by the end of 2025 as set out in its strategy, “A New Deal for Tenants”. (S6F-01309)

A cost of living emergency is engulfing the country. As we speak, tenants are being forced out of their homes by eye-watering rent hikes. Every single one of us in Parliament has a responsibility to act with urgency. What practical intervention will the Scottish Government make this year, in 2022, to cap or at least limit rent increases?

Marine protection workers have been undertaking strike action to secure a fair pay rise, but they are now being subjected to underhand tactics to force them back to work. Those tactics include vessels being berthed in inaccessible areas, little accommodation being made available and the workers being put off the vessels when they are on strike.

We would expect such behaviour from the Tories, but we would not expect it from a Government that claims to value the role of trade unions and recognise the importance of fair work. Will the cabinet secretary condemn those tactics and commit to the Scottish Government and Marine Scotland bringing forward a pay offer that addresses the workers’ concerns?

I thank my North East Scotland colleague Michael Marra for lodging his important motion. Just two years ago, Scotland recorded its largest-ever number of drug-related deaths: 1,339. That rate of drug deaths was three and a half times greater than that of the United Kingdom as a whole, and it was also higher than the rate observed in any other European country.

I am sure that, as MSPs, we have all observed the impact of Scotland’s drug deaths crisis on the communities that we represent. In my home city of Dundee, we lost 57 of our neighbours to drug-related deaths in 2020 and, throughout much of the past decade, Dundee regularly had the highest recorded proportion of drugs deaths in Scotland. On my own street, I see the daily impact that drug misuse is having on the community and, in many ways, it is a microcosm of the city’s wider drug use issues. That is why I welcome the work of the Dundee drugs commission, which has sought to reduce drug deaths and improve access to treatment in the city.

However, two years on from its initial report on the issue, the commission’s findings in its recent review make for stark reading. Many individuals still find themselves facing few treatment options and a lack of joint working among the services encompassed by Dundee alcohol and drug partnership, so I welcome the commission’s recommendations, including those on independent scrutiny of the progress being made by the Dundee partnership, better allocation of the substance use budget, and the design of a recovery-oriented system of care.

I would urge Dundee City Council and the wider Dundee partnership to seriously reflect on those recommendations as part of the recently revised five-year drug and alcohol recovery plan.

Scotland’s drug deaths crisis has been exacerbated by the failed criminalisation model, but Scottish Government inaction has not helped either. Last week, the minister admitted that progress is neither good enough nor quick enough, with most council areas in Scotland failing to fully implement the MAT standards.

Although the Scottish Government now recognises the need for increased investment in drug and alcohol services, we cannot ignore the fact that it has imposed cumulative cuts of more than £40 million in recent years, so we need to see urgent action from the Scottish Government and a commitment to pursue approaches that are alternatives to criminalisation. That is why I support my colleague Paul Sweeney’s calls for the introduction of safe consumption rooms. I believe that we need to have a serious debate about decriminalisation and what a modern drugs policy for Scotland should look like.

I emphasise that the only way that we will ever truly tackle drug use will not be by criminalisation. We need to address the societal issues that often drive individuals to drug use in the first place. For too long, communities such as mine in Dundee have suffered the effects of poverty, homelessness and other inequalities. Change will require this Parliament to think and act more boldly in how we tackle those issues, including by looking at the provision of universal public services. If we are serious about tackling Scotland’s drug deaths crisis, we must tackle its long-standing poverty crisis, too.

Thank you. There has been a suggestion that there should be strict liability under section 2 of the bill, whereby a landowner, occupier or dog owner would be liable—

Good morning, witnesses. Thank you for coming.

Are you satisfied with the definition of hunting? We have heard calls for it to be clarified with an expanded list of related terms such as “stalking”, “flushing” or “pursuing”. What is your view on that?

Please forgive me if this is outlined elsewhere and I have missed it, but will you explain in what circumstances you envisage a licence being issued? Is it intended that there will be regular reviews of the licensing scheme to ensure that it meets its purpose?