Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 31 October 2023
31 Oct 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Rural and Islands Housing
I have been doing a number of things. About two weeks ago, I met 25 institutional investors in London to talk about opportunities to invest in housing in Scotland. The meeting was positive, and we are meeting them again very soon. That includes mid-market rent, build to rent and social housing.
I also met Scottish Financial Enterprise recently, and I have a round-table event coming up with it to talk about the opportunities to help to finance rural housing in particular and housing in general. Again, that meeting was positive, and I am happy to feed back on the round-table event.
Our demand-led rural and islands housing fund, which has been described as a game changer, has now become a recognised feature of the affordable housing supply programme, and is backed by up to £30 million funding in this session of Parliament.
I have tried to meet as many local authorities as possible since I have been in this role—I have probably met more than two thirds of them. Again, this issue is raised when I talk to councils.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-11027, in the name of Paul McLennan, on the “Rural & Islands Housing Action Plan”. 14:22
The Minister for Housing (Paul McLennan)
SNP
I am pleased to bring this debate to the chamber and to have the opportunity to provide an update on our approach to delivering the right homes in the right ...
Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
I noted the minister’s point about finance. Will he share with me what activities he has been doing to ensure that the right finance with the right risk prof...
Paul McLennan
SNP
I have been doing a number of things. About two weeks ago, I met 25 institutional investors in London to talk about opportunities to invest in housing in Sco...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
SNP
On 1 September, I wrote to the minister suggesting that, in order to meet the laudable aim of delivering 11,000 affordable homes by 2032, he should work clos...
Paul McLennan
SNP
That is something that I think would be considered. In terms of engaging stakeholders, we met NFU Scotland and the Crofting Commission, and I also met Scotti...
Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
There are 67,000 unoccupied properties in Scotland right now, and we all know from our constituencies that they are unsightly and a blight on Scotland. Does ...
Paul McLennan
SNP
Rachael Hamilton makes a good point. A report by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which was sent to the Scottish Government, touched on that issue, and ...
Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
Will the minister take an intervention?
Paul McLennan
SNP
I am conscious of the time, but I will take one more intervention.
Finlay Carson
Con
I thank the minister for taking the intervention. Given that 17 per cent of Scotland’s population live in rural areas, where we are seeing depopulation, shou...
Paul McLennan
SNP
We have talked about 10 per cent being the minimum. That is key. I meet local authorities and economic development partners in that regard. We need to identi...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Please begin to conclude, minister.
Paul McLennan
SNP
I believe that the delivery of the commitments in the action plan will further enhance our commitment to addressing the key challenges and will enable the de...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Rachael Hamilton to speak to and move amendment S6M-11027.1. 14:36
Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
Less than one week on from the revelation that our former First Minister could spare just one slot in her diary for the whole of rural Scotland over the past...
Paul McLennan
SNP
I have a couple of points. On the budget, at the start of this parliamentary session, the budget was £3.5 billion, and that has not been cut. I recognise th...
Rachael Hamilton
Con
I am looking at the Scottish Government figures for 2022, in which there is a cash-terms cut in the housing budget. That has done nothing to help the rural a...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way on that point?
Rachael Hamilton
Con
I will make some progress and perhaps take an intervention later. Against what the minister has just said about the Government working with the private sect...
Kenneth Gibson
SNP
I am not sure how the member expects the Scottish Government to be able to deliver more homes with a £500 million cut in its capital budget, which is 9.7 per...
Rachael Hamilton
Con
What a shame it is that Kenny Gibson has to devolve his responsibilities to another Government. Scotland has two Governments. This Parliament has huge devolv...
Paul McLennan
SNP
Will the member take an intervention on that?
Rachael Hamilton
Con
If the minister can tell people who live in rural communities why they are being short changed, I will.
Paul McLennan
SNP
I come back to the point that I made to Mr Carson. The 10 per cent is a minimum target. It is not around a budget. We continue to speak to local authorities ...
Rachael Hamilton
Con
I am delighted to hear that the minister wants to be more ambitious, but why are we not transparent and clear about what those ambitions are, rather than mis...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Before I begin, I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that I ceased to be a landlord this summer. Today’s...
Paul McLennan
SNP
I have a couple of things to pick up on because they are key to give a bit of context. Kenny Gibson touched on the fact that we deliver about 40 per cent mor...
Mark Griffin
Lab
I would absolutely support more capital spending on housing, and I will come on to talk about some of the policies that we have been suggesting in the chambe...
Paul McLennan
SNP
I, too, met Salmon Scotland, and discussions are on-going about the proposals that it made, which Mark Griffin knows about. I think that it met us on the sam...