Committee
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee 21 March 2023
21 Mar 2023 · S6 · Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Item of business
Subordinate Legislation
Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 (Incidental Provision) Regulations 2023 [Draft]
Although it is not technically relevant to the instrument that we are discussing—which is a clarification of the drafting of the legislation on the introduction of rent adjudication measures, as and when the temporary measures come to an end—when we referred to the landlord registration figures, we made it clear that that is only an administrative source of data. It does not provide the rich granularity of data that all stakeholders recognise is necessary. Longer-term reforms need to be made to ensure that there is data collection in the private rented sector at the level that we need it. Although we have an admittedly limited source of information through the landlord registration scheme, it shows that there has been no decrease, and perhaps a slight, very marginal, increase in the number of registered properties prior to the emergency measures coming into force. Mr Briggs is right that there would be a time lag between landlords seeking to make decisions about their future in the industry and any deregistrations. We acknowledge that that is the case and we have presented the information that we have available to us.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Green
Item 2 is evidence on draft regulations. I welcome Patrick Harvie, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights. Mr Harvie is joined...
The Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights (Patrick Harvie)
Green
Good morning, convener, and thank you. I am happy to be here today to present the draft Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 (Incidental Pr...
The Convener
Green
Thank you for explaining the clarification in the draft regulations. Do members have questions?
Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I will return to the questions that I raised in the committee’s evidence session on 28 February, which were about the use of data—specifically, private landl...
Patrick Harvie
Green
Although it is not technically relevant to the instrument that we are discussing—which is a clarification of the drafting of the legislation on the introduct...
Miles Briggs
Con
Is the Scottish Government looking at information to assess what impact the emergency legislation has had and at what rate people could potentially leave the...
Patrick Harvie
Green
The Scottish Government has a responsibility to ensure that temporary emergency measures are necessary and proportionate and that they are appropriate and fi...
Miles Briggs
Con
Maybe I will ask the question in a more straightforward way. Are your officials looking at that data, in order to publish it, so that we are acutely aware of...
Patrick Harvie
Green
As I said in response to your first question, everybody—landlord organisations, tenant organisations, housing academics and the Government—recognises that th...
Miles Briggs
Con
Thanks for that.
The Convener
Green
I thank the minister for the evidence today and for going into a bit of detail that was beyond the scope of what the committee is looking at. We turn to age...
The Convener
Green
The committee will publish a report setting out its recommendation on the instrument in the coming days. I now suspend the meeting to allow us to set up for...