Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2011
17 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill
I am pleased to open the debate and to move the motion in my name.
I thank the Local Government and Communities Committee for its detailed consideration of the bill, which was informed by evidence from a wide range of stakeholders. I appreciate the time that was taken by the committee to seek the views of key stakeholders. The bill has benefited from the debate in committee and the chamber, and from on-going dialogue with stakeholders.
I thank the clerks to the committee for their help and co-operation throughout the passage of the bill. I also particularly thank the bill team in the Scottish Government, who have been extremely helpful to me in progressing a fairly complex and complicated bill.
The Scottish Government sees a modern, thriving, high-quality Scottish private rented sector as an essential part of housing provision in Scotland. In our document, “Housing: Fresh Thinking, New Ideas”, we outlined our wish to strengthen the private rented sector. We also want to do what we can, within our limited power and resources, to make that happen. We have made submissions both to the previous Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, and to the current chancellor, George Osborne, asking them to extend the tax advantages that exist for investment in commercial property to investment in the housing sector. If the chancellor were prepared to do so in his budget, on 23 March, that would act as a major spur to investment in housing—in particular, in the private housing sector.
It is incumbent on us to recognise that the vast majority of landlords are good landlords. That was shown in the PRS survey that was conducted two years ago by the Scottish Government. The people whom we have to tackle are the small minority, who are often geographically concentrated, who give landlordism a bad name. Those are the people at whom the bill is targeted. At the same time, we want to ensure that the regulation that is being put in place is proportionate while protecting the rights of tenants and landlords. We also want to develop a longer-term strategy for the sector’s growth. I believe that the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill will play its part in that by giving local authorities greater powers to tackle bad practice and penalise unlawful operators, as well as by improving tenants’ and landlords’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities.
The bill is the result of a collaborative process in which evidence was taken over many months prior to the bill’s introduction and during the committee stages.
I thank the Local Government and Communities Committee for its detailed consideration of the bill, which was informed by evidence from a wide range of stakeholders. I appreciate the time that was taken by the committee to seek the views of key stakeholders. The bill has benefited from the debate in committee and the chamber, and from on-going dialogue with stakeholders.
I thank the clerks to the committee for their help and co-operation throughout the passage of the bill. I also particularly thank the bill team in the Scottish Government, who have been extremely helpful to me in progressing a fairly complex and complicated bill.
The Scottish Government sees a modern, thriving, high-quality Scottish private rented sector as an essential part of housing provision in Scotland. In our document, “Housing: Fresh Thinking, New Ideas”, we outlined our wish to strengthen the private rented sector. We also want to do what we can, within our limited power and resources, to make that happen. We have made submissions both to the previous Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, and to the current chancellor, George Osborne, asking them to extend the tax advantages that exist for investment in commercial property to investment in the housing sector. If the chancellor were prepared to do so in his budget, on 23 March, that would act as a major spur to investment in housing—in particular, in the private housing sector.
It is incumbent on us to recognise that the vast majority of landlords are good landlords. That was shown in the PRS survey that was conducted two years ago by the Scottish Government. The people whom we have to tackle are the small minority, who are often geographically concentrated, who give landlordism a bad name. Those are the people at whom the bill is targeted. At the same time, we want to ensure that the regulation that is being put in place is proportionate while protecting the rights of tenants and landlords. We also want to develop a longer-term strategy for the sector’s growth. I believe that the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill will play its part in that by giving local authorities greater powers to tackle bad practice and penalise unlawful operators, as well as by improving tenants’ and landlords’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities.
The bill is the result of a collaborative process in which evidence was taken over many months prior to the bill’s introduction and during the committee stages.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-8128, in the name of Alex Neil, on the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill.15:45
The Minister for Housing and Communities (Alex Neil)
SNP
I am pleased to open the debate and to move the motion in my name.I thank the Local Government and Communities Committee for its detailed consideration of th...
Tricia Marwick (Central Fife) (SNP)
SNP
Will the minister assure the chamber that the powers that the bill establishes will force local authorities to act when private landlords do not live up to t...
Alex Neil
SNP
I agree with Tricia Marwick that enforcement is crucial. The powers are now well in place and I believe that the local authorities have the tools to do the j...
Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab)
Lab
I am sure that I am not the only one who feels a sense of achievement when we reach stage 3 of a bill, and that is especially true when one has been particul...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
The Conservatives support and will vote for the bill.Going through the process has been interesting and certain aspects of today’s procedures have been parti...
Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD)
LD
I thank my colleagues on the Local Government and Communities Committee, the committee clerks, the bill team and the minister for their hard work and dedicat...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We now move to the open debate.16:07
Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP)
SNP
Sometimes it might seem to people as if we in this Parliament are navel gazing or talking only to ourselves, but nothing could be further from the truth. Thi...
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab)
Lab
Although the bill is one of the last that we shall consider in this session of the Parliament, its gestation has been fairly long. Most of its provisions wer...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
It was a privilege to be a member of the committee that examined the bill. It was clear that not all local authorities have taken a vigorous approach to land...
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to make a brief contribution. In the stage 1 debate I spoke exclusively on the rogue landlord aspects of the bill, given the antiso...
Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP)
SNP
I start by saying something that I think that we all agree on: the private rented sector must become increasingly important in the provision of good-quality,...
Jim Tolson
LD
One principal element of the bill is the measures on the registration of private landlords. Alex Neil said that the bill is targeted at a minority of landlor...
Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
In winding up for the Conservatives today, I begin what will possibly be my final contribution in this place by saying how grateful I am for the kind words o...
Alex Neil
SNP
Can the member confirm that he is registered? Laughter.
Ted Brocklebank
Con
Absolutely, as the minister will discover if he checks the register of landlords.However, there have been problems. Pauline McNeill and Patricia Ferguson all...
Mary Mulligan
Lab
I offer my best wishes to Ted Brocklebank for all that he has done, particularly today. He said that his closing speech will probably be his last contributio...
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson)
NPA
Given Patricia Ferguson’s earlier warning about what Alex Neil is capable of doing in an empty house, I am a little bit loth to let him loose on a fairly emp...
Alex Neil
SNP
I am delighted that Mary Mulligan is confident that I am going to be the minister moving the commencement order after the election.Earlier, when we were disc...
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell)
SNP
Indeed.
Alex Neil
SNP
This has been a consensual debate, with good contributions from throughout the chamber. It is appropriate that it has been consensual, because the issue that...
Bob Doris
SNP
I just want to add to the list the Home Owner and Debtor Protection (Scotland) Act 2010, under which all evictions for mortgage arrears must call in court, w...
Alex Neil
SNP
That is a good point from Mr Doris. I am always one to undersell our achievements. Laughter. The legislation is extremely important, but it is also importan...
Patricia Ferguson
Lab
Does the minister accept that the issue is not just the location of the judgment but the courts having an understanding of the effects that behaviour can hav...
Alex Neil
SNP
Absolutely. My view is that some kind of tribunal system may be more appropriate, certainly in some circumstances, than a case immediately going to the sheri...