Meeting of the Parliament 18 June 2025
I start with an apology, Deputy Presiding Officer, to you, Liam Kerr and other members in the chamber for missing the opening sentences of what was a powerful contribution—I apologise to all.
I echo Meghan Gallacher’s welcome to the cabinet secretary in returning to the Parliament and to the inclusion of the housing portfolio in a Cabinet post, which will, at last, bring the subject directly to the Cabinet table.
This is a fascinating and important debate that has been brought to the chamber as a result of a member’s motion that talks about individuals—individuals who own houses in which they live and in which they want their families to grow up and to feel safe. As has already been adequately shown, the last thing that those people feel is safe. The consequences of that are potentially fatal, although let us hope not. Nevertheless, those families will not be able to grow and mature in a safe environment.
I will return to the housing element, but first I will spend a short time talking about two different situations involving RAAC that have arisen in the south of Scotland, close to Lothian, in the council area of East Lothian. One case concerns a high school and the other involves a theatre. The theatre is operated through trusts and charities by East Lothian Council to further the cultural importance of East Lothian. The presence of RAAC was identified in that building and it has been rendered unusable—indeed, it has been rendered unsafe. Much discussion is going on about whether a new theatre can be built or whether other things can be done towards that aim.
The other case involves Preston Lodge high school in Prestonpans, in East Lothian, which falls very much in my South Scotland region. RAAC was identified there, but it was repaired within months—at great expense—because the school was a private finance initiative school. The responsibility fell on the funders of the school to ensure that education could continue, and financial contributions allowed children who were moved away to continue to be taught in other community buildings. There was a massive incentive to get the school open again, because there was a commitment to providing facilities for education.
I draw an analogy between those two cases and now turn to housing, because where there is a will, there is a way. I look back to the Government’s “Housing to 2040” strategy, which was published on 15 March 2021. In that strategy, the Government said:
“Since 1999, housing policy has been devolved to the Scottish Parliament.”
It went on to say, in bold lettering, that
“This has allowed a new approach to develop in Scotland, one that recognises the central role that housing plays in determining quality of life.”
Finally, it said:
“We have taken a different course to other UK nations on affordable housing supply, Right to Buy, affordability, homelessness, child poverty, security of tenure and energy efficiency.”
In Liam Kerr’s opening speech and in other speeches on how RAAC is affecting home owners, the Government is being put to the test on its own words. I echo Meghan Gallacher’s request: a good start would be to meet all the campaign groups. The second task is to solve the problem for the people of Scotland. That responsibility falls on the Scottish Government.
18:00