Meeting of the Parliament 18 November 2015
I will continue and try to get through my speech. Perhaps the member will attract the Presiding Officer’s eye and be allowed to speak during the debate.
What we need to do today is to think about how we get more homes available in Scotland. That means being innovative about how we take forward investment. This Government has tried to focus on key areas. Indeed, if members read the right publications, they will discover that the Government has great respect for the potential for developing the private rented sector. That makes me wonder why it has introduced the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill. It seems that in many areas the bill will have a negative effect, taking confidence away from people who want to invest in the private rented sector and discouraging them from investing their money here in Scotland.
The Government has fallen into the habit of claiming credit for things that are not its responsibility. For example, the money that is used for the help-to-buy scheme and other schemes is allocated to Scotland by the Westminster Government’s Treasury; it has not been secured through careful negotiation with private investors. The minister stands up and claims credit for the schemes simply because the Scottish Government is required to administer them in the Scottish context, but that is dishonest in the extreme.
The truth is that, as it stands, the kind of legislation being proposed by the Scottish Government is going to drive outside investment away from Scotland. As a result, we will find ourselves with compounded problems as time goes on. If home seekers are going to meet their housing needs and their aspirations for their tenure of choice—statistics show that home ownership remains by far the preferred option—the Scottish Government can and should play a role in that. The problem is that we have heard all the excuses but have seen very little sign of any action.
I move amendment S4M-14859.2, to leave out from first “welcomes” to end and insert:
“considers that the housing market must be seen in the round rather than with a particular focus on specific sectors; recognises that housebuilding in Scotland has fallen considerably with only a modest level of recovery evident; notes that the Scottish Government has missed its aim to deliver 6,000 socially-rented homes in each year of the current parliamentary session; recalls that the right to buy scheme created a revolutionary change in homeownership in Scotland, making owner-occupation affordable for nearly half a million people; notes with concern that a number of measures in the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill will have a negative effect on the housing market, and acknowledges that ambitious rhetoric will have to be matched by deliverable outcomes.”
15:15Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.