Meeting of the Parliament 12 March 2024
I am delighted to open the stage 1 debate on the general principles of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill.
The Grenfell tower tragedy provided absolute clarity on why building safety is so important. Since that terrible event, substantial progress has been made on changes to fire safety standards and guidance, legislation on smoke alarms, and the establishment of the cladding remediation programme. However, we have also identified barriers to delivery, which we need to address if we are to ensure that we have the powers to safeguard residents and home owners.
The urgency of the issue was again emphasised just a few weeks ago, when we saw shocking images of the fire that engulfed a cladded building in Valencia. I thank the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee for its expedited scrutiny of the bill and its stage 1 report. I offer my thanks, too, to the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee and the Finance and Public Administration Committee for their swift consideration of the bill.
The bill has benefited from the positive engagement of Opposition spokespeople and insightful examination of the issues by individual committee members. My exceptional gratitude goes to everyone who gave evidence at stage 1, some of whom have been personally affected by the issues at the heart of the bill.
I welcome the local government committee’s view that the bill’s provisions are appropriate to their stated purpose and its recommendation that the general principles of the bill be agreed to. In its stage 1 report, the committee made detailed recommendations and comments and called on the Government to consider and respond to those. The Government is still reflecting on some of those points, but I hope that the response that I provided to the committee last week provides a useful indication of its position.
I have a long-standing interest in the issue, both locally and as a member of the Parliament. In my evidence to the committee in June 2023, I said that we would use every tool available to handle the crisis on cladding in Scotland, including through legislation if required.