Committee
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee 16 April 2024
16 Apr 2024 · S6 · Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Item of business
Building Safety and Maintenance and Housing to 2040
Good morning, convener. It is always good to be back in the room with the committee. Thank you for inviting me to participate in this important discussion. I thought that it might be helpful to provide a short update on progress on some issues that the committee has been considering lately. I am delighted that the Housing (Scotland) Bill has now been introduced, as per our commitment in the 2023-24 programme for government. The bill delivers on our new deal for tenants and represents a package of measures that will help to improve affordability through implementing a national system of rent controls alongside a range of other rented sector reforms. Together, those measures represent a robust package of additional rights and protections for tenants that will improve their experience of renting a home. In addition, we are determined to tackle the negative and sometimes devastating effects on people’s lives of living with damp and mould. Although any instance of damp or mould is a cause for concern, I am heartened to see analysis of the latest Scottish house condition survey data, which we have shared with the committee. That shows that there has been no significant increase in the levels of condensation or mould across all tenures. However, we have noted a small increase in homes recorded as suffering from rising or penetrating damp. Those increased from 3 to 4 per cent between 2019 and 2022. That is why it was so important that urgent action was taken in the early part of this year. The Scottish Housing Regulator, along with other stakeholders in the housing sector, responded to that issue through the publication of new guidance for the social sector. We also published updated statutory guidance on the repairing standard that covers the private rented sector. We will continue to consider what is necessary to tackle that scourge as we take forward work on cross-tenure standards. We are committed to tackling disrepair and driving a culture in which good maintenance is always given a high priority. In response to the committee’s letter of 15 March, I provided, on 9 April, an update on the engagement with Aberdeen City Council on its rehoming programme due to there being reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in its homes. We are continuing the work of our cross-sector working group on RAAC to understand the extent of RAAC in our housing stock, and we are engaging with landlords who have identified the presence of RAAC. We will keep in close contact with the Scottish Housing Regulator and local authorities that have taken the difficult decision to decant residents from their homes, and we will ensure that we understand the impacts of the long-term remediation plans, particularly on the home owners involved. More broadly, I welcome the work that the committee has undertaken to carry out a review of the housing to 2040 strategy, and I look forward to seeing the report of its findings in due course. I have followed with interest the work so far through the committee’s evidence sessions, and I am pleased to note that stakeholders and members of the housing to 2040 strategic board generally appear to still agree with the strategy’s overall vision and aims. However, I appreciate and understand the concerns that have been raised concerning the challenging environment that the housing sector and local authorities face and the impact that that is having on delivery. It is important to note that, when we published “Housing to 2040” in March 2021, we were in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was swiftly followed by the cost crisis and the fuel crisis, as well as the negative impact of Brexit on the construction supply chain, labour shortages and record-high inflationary pressures. That has been further compounded by a nearly 9 per cent real-terms fall in our United Kingdom capital funding for 2023 to 2028. Of course, the Government cannot deliver the ambitions in “Housing to 2040” alone. We look forward to continuing our work with the housing to 2040 strategic board and the sector more widely to tackle the short-term challenges and maintain the longer-term path to delivering the strategies, aims and visions. I hope that the committee has found this short update helpful.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Green
The third item on our agenda is to take evidence on building safety and maintenance and the housing to 2040 strategy from the Minister for Housing. The minis...
The Minister for Housing (Paul McLennan)
SNP
Good morning, convener. It is always good to be back in the room with the committee. Thank you for inviting me to participate in this important discussion. I...
The Convener
Green
Thank you for that update. Our first session will be on building safety and maintenance; after that, we will take a short break and then focus on the housing...
Paul McLennan
SNP
In general, the Government would consider that. At the moment, it is looking at the issues in two or three different ways. We talked about the role of the ho...
The Convener
Green
Just to come back to the question, can we start to move forward on a database?
Paul McLennan
SNP
We would consider that. At the moment, we are engaging on where the damp and mould work, the RAAC work and the cladding work sit. We moved forward with the c...
The Convener
Green
Thanks. I will continue on a connected theme. The first time that I heard about it was in a session on cladding. It is the idea of a building MOT, which woul...
Paul McLennan
SNP
Again, to come back to the issue of cladding—I am sure that this will come up next week—discussions are continuing with developers about the single building ...
The Convener
Green
It is good to hear that that is being considered.
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Good morning, minister. While we are on the subject of maintenance—in particular, the maintenance of existing flats—we have heard from witnesses that the cur...
Paul McLennan
SNP
There is obviously the work by the tenement maintenance working group, and I know that there have been discussions on that. Graham Simpson discussed the issu...
Mark Griffin
Lab
I look forward to seeing that update. Have there been any interim updates?
Paul McLennan
SNP
Not as yet, but we hope that we will get some kind of report, as I said, post the summer recess. We have had an indication that there will be an update in th...
The Convener
Green
I will bring in Stephanie Callaghan next.
Stephanie Callaghan (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)
SNP
Good morning, minister. There is, understandably, a backlog in essential maintenance across housing tenures. I have two questions. First, how can that mainte...
Paul McLennan
SNP
With regard to local government, I have tried to get round to as many local authorities as I possibly can—I have about three to go, and then I will have been...
Stephanie Callaghan
SNP
I have one more question, for clarity. It sounds very much like you are talking about local authorities taking quite a joined-up approach, as well as getting...
Paul McLennan
SNP
I will be honest: the picture is mixed. One of the key points with regard to local housing is the housing needs and demand assessment process, which looks at...
Pam Gosal (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
The committee has heard concerns that the efforts to cut emissions from existing homes might lead to unintended issues, such as more mould and damp. What mea...
Paul McLennan
SNP
Do you mean what actions have we taken in terms of emissions? Pam Gosal indicated agreement.
Paul McLennan
SNP
Obviously, new-build standards have come in, which is an important step in relation to where we are with new houses. We are now starting to see those, and I ...
Pam Gosal
Con
The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland reports a rise in hospitalisations due to damp and mould in Scottish homes and emphasises that the current ...
Paul McLennan
SNP
That goes back to what I was saying previously. I mentioned the briefing note that was sent out, and the Scottish Housing Regulator plays its part. A real fo...
Pam Gosal
Con
You talk about the guidance, but I have mentioned that the current guidance is insufficient and that it is poorly understood. Where do you see the work of th...
Paul McLennan
SNP
That involves working with the housing organisations. We have mentioned the work of the Scottish Association of Landlords, and I will raise that issue with i...
The Convener
Green
I return to the issue of the action to reduce emissions in existing homes resulting in negative consequences. Specifically, the situation in my region is tha...
Paul McLennan
SNP
That is a really important point. I was in my constituency a couple of weeks ago at a project called insulate Innerwick. The village consists of around 400 h...
The Convener
Green
Thank you for that. Your example was about people in a community space who got together, and who pulled together to catalyse an event with Changeworks. We ca...
Paul McLennan
SNP
Very much so. If people can do that in a small village with 400 or 500 houses, how do we move towards that? How do we do that in urban Glasgow or in the High...
The Convener
Green
Great; thank you very much. All communities should be on alert and should get together.