Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 13 November 2024
13 Nov 2024 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Housing Emergency
Scotland is facing a housing emergency, as borne out by the fact that 13 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have now declared one. The culmination of that disastrous situation has not happened overnight. It has been a long-running trend, and a feature of Scotland’s post-war history. An interesting fact is that in the mid-1970s—perhaps the member for Eastwood will recall this era—more than 50 per cent of all housing stock in Scotland was social housing, the highest concentration of any country in the democratic world. In fact, it was surpassed only by the Soviet Union.
Today, the figure is 24 per cent. In large part, that change is due to the Conservative Government’s decision in 1980 to introduce the right-to-buy scheme, which led to 494,000 houses being sold to the private sector.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-15401, in the name of Meghan Gallacher, on Scotland’s housing emergency. I invite members who wish to par...
Meghan Gallacher (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
The Housing (Scotland) Bill was a golden opportunity to address Scotland’s housing emergency, yet the bill that the Government introduced does not even menti...
Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
The member makes a point about property owners selling their property. However, surely that will not destroy the housing stock; it will simply transfer it to...
Meghan Gallacher
Con
What we need is mixed-tenure housing to fix the housing emergency that we are currently in, and rent controls will not fix the situation. Rent controls will...
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice (Shirley-Anne Somerville)
SNP
This is a good opportunity to give another further update on the Housing (Scotland) Bill in the chamber, because although addressing the housing emergency is...
Meghan Gallacher
Con
Does the cabinet secretary understand that the policies that her Government is trying to push through the Parliament have stalled roughly £3.2 billion-worth ...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
As a minority Government, we cannot push a bill through Parliament. Stages 2 and 3 of the bill are coming up, and we look forward to continuing discussions w...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
The cabinet secretary says that the measures will make rents more affordable. Will she explain how rent will be made more affordable by amendments that requi...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
That aspect of rent controls is one of the areas where Patrick Harvie and I fundamentally disagree. Although the Government’s continuing priority is to eradi...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
We are quite often suspected by the public—and often by each other—of making capital from issues that affect people’s lives. Last year, there were 40,000 hom...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Mark Griffin
Lab
As long as it is brief, because I am really restricted on time.
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
The best way to deliver more affordable homes is through the budget. If we present a budget that has funding for more affordable homes, will Labour vote for it?
Mark Griffin
Lab
I hope that that is in the budget. For the past six months, the cabinet secretary and the minister have talked about me, as a Labour spokesperson, lobbying a...
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
Scottish Greens believe that access to safe, warm and affordable housing is a fundamental human right that is essential to our health, happiness and ability ...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
We see the toll on people who are homeless or desperate for a new house. They live with it all day, every day, all night and all year round. They are drained...
Patrick Harvie
Green
It is not specified.
Willie Rennie
LD
It has been specified as “Passivhaus”. It is in the language, so we need to have clarity about exactly what the Government means. We should be aiming for a h...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
We move to the open debate. 16:25
Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con)
Con
Presiding Officer, “Edinburgh is at the epicentre of the housing and homelessness crisis”.—Official Report, 23 April 2023; c 29. I spoke those words durin...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Miles Briggs
Con
If I can get some time back.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
You can get most of it back.
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Ministers had a meeting with the council on the issue today, and we have offered to have another meeting at ministerial level on Friday. Ministers and offici...
Miles Briggs
Con
That is welcome, and I hope that the cabinet secretary will update MSPs from across the parties very soon on that. We know that there is concern about a loss...
Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)
SNP
When the Housing (Scotland) Bill was introduced, I was a member of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. We took evidence on parts 1 to 4 of ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
You need to conclude.
Gordon MacDonald
SNP
I also welcome the commitment to build a further 110,000 affordable social rented homes. 16:34
Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Con)
Con
Colleagues might be slightly surprised to see me, after 17 and a half years, stand up to make a contribution for the first time in a housing debate. I have l...
Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Scotland is facing a housing emergency, as borne out by the fact that 13 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have now declared one. The culmination of that di...