Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on 14 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

As per previous Climate Change plans, it must contain policies and proposals, by sector, for meeting the economy wide annual emissions reduction targets for each year. The Plan will also set out for the first time the costs and benefits (including financial cost, emissions and jobs) of the policies it contains, as well as setting out how it will affect different sectors of the Scottish economy and different regions in Scotland.

The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 is a response to the impact of the cost crisis on those living in the rented sector. The Scottish Government has made clear provisions in the Act must be expired or suspended if they are no longer considered necessary and proportionate in connection with the cost of living.

As set out in our first report to Parliament on the operation of the Act, the social sector rent cap expiry follows the development of an agreed approach on rent setting for 2023-24, taken forward on a voluntary basis, with social housing landlords. Social housing landlords are “not for profit” organisations and all rental income is used to support the delivery of housing and associated services for tenants. Under the Scottish Government’s Social Housing Charter, social landlords are required to set rents and service charges in consultation with their tenants so that a balance is struck between the level of services provided, the cost of the services and how far current and prospective tenants and service users can afford them.

The private rented sector has a high quantity and range of landlords, as well as a very different statutory regime governing its rent increase process. It was therefore not feasible to replicate the Task Group that formed in respect of the social rented sector, where all landlords could be effectively represented by membership bodies.

Whereas social sector rent setting practice involves rents being set annually and in consultation with tenants, with further rent increases typically not taking place either inter- or intra-tenancy, the latest data shows high levels of recent private sector rental growth.

The Scottish Government Private Rent Statistics (primarily based on advertised rents) show a 6.2% annual increase in average 2 bedroom monthly rents across Scotland in the year to end September 2022, while data from letting agents (which relates to new let rents only) show high growth: Rightmove reporting an annual increase of 13.0% and Citylets an increase of 8.3% in Q3 2022 in Scotland, and Zoopla reporting an increase of 11.4% for Scotland in October 2022.

In light of the updated economic analysis recently undertaken – and as set out in the recently published Statement of Reasons – the Scottish Government is of the view that it would be proportionate to raise the rent cap in the private rented sector to allow within-tenancy rent increases of up to 3%.

The voluntary approach to rent setting taken by landlords in the social sector is intended to equate to an approximate average rental increase of less than £5 a week (or less than £22 per month) across the country. As rents in the private rented sector are generally significantly higher than those in the social rented sector, allowing a maximum rent increase of 3% for rents in the private rented sector equates to a similar average rent increase for tenants in two-bedroom properties (the most common property size in the private rented sector). There will be variation around these averages, with higher increases for three-bedroom and four-bedroom properties and lower increases for one-bedroom properties.

The Scottish Government considers that this will give a measure of parity to landlords in the private and social sectors in monetary terms, while continuing to protect tenants from unaffordable rent increases during the cost crisis. The increase to the rent cap will mitigate against a disproportionate impact on private landlords who may also be experiencing increased costs due to the cost crisis, allowing them to maintain their properties and meet other expenses. We are also proposing that private landlords could, alternatively, opt to apply to Rent Service Scotland for a rent increase of up to 6% if they have had an increase in their defined, prescribed property costs within a specific period.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on 14 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on14 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on 14 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on 14 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on 14 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

In general, the data received from Police Scotland for producing the National Statistics on Recorded Crime, is a simple count of the number of crimes and offences which the police have recorded and cleared up. As such we are unable to separately identify back to 1999 which recorded crimes of fraud were committed online.

However we recently introduced a new chapter within the National Statistics, which estimates the volume of recorded cyber-crime in Scotland based on a sample of police records. Under this approach, the number of recorded frauds which involved the use of cyber technology in any way (including cyber-enabled or cyber-dependent crimes) was 2,690 in 2018-19 (the first year of available data) and 3,450 in 2019-20. It then increased significantly to 8,580 in 2020-21, before falling slightly to 8,010 in 2021-22. At least part of the increase in 2020-21 may be due to the significant impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and government instructions to limit social contact. For example in their ‘ Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2021 ’ release, the Office for National Statistics noted that an increase in fraud and computer misuse offences could reflect perpetrators taking advantage of behavioural changes during the pandemic, such as increased online shopping.

Further information on the new chapter referenced above is available as part of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2021-2022 in particular Table A11. Figures for 2022-23 will be published in June.

The Scottish Government is aware of the UN Committee’s General Comment and is taking seriously concerns that 16- and 17-year-olds may need more protection.

Clearly, all marriages and civil partnerships should be entered into with full consent of both parties. There is existing legislative provision against forced marriage.

We are currently gathering views from stakeholders on the minimum age for marriage.

Increasing the minimum age could be argued to increase safeguards for young people but such a change could also be seen as removing their right to marry or to enter a civil partnership.

We understand from National Records of Scotland that fewer than 30 people aged 16 or 17 entered a registered marriage in 2019. The Scottish Government appreciates there could be concerns about unregistered marriages, which are not governed by the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977. We would need to consider what impact raising the minimum legal age would have on unregistered marriages.