S2M-1407 Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill

The Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid): The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-1407, in the name of Margaret Curran, that the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill be passed.
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Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): It is a pleasure to rise to speak in this stage 3 debate—at last. There have been times during the passage of the bill when ministers have perhaps sought to portray themselves as the only true guardians of the spirit of peace and tranquillity across Scotland. I hope that we have now reached a broad consensus, if not a total consensus, across the chamber that there is a real problem and that there was a real casus belli underlying the Executive's determination to pass the bill. We find ourselves with some continuing disagreements, however, about whether the remedies that the bill proposes are proportionate and appropriate. Despite that, my colleagues and I will of course support the bill, because it moves the issue forward.

One of the bill's great achievements is that I am now beginning to feel that Johann Lamont has become almost house trained under my tutelage in the Communities Committee—I am quite sure that I will pay for saying that next week. I make an important point when I say that. Johann Lamont has displayed something a little bit too uncommon in the Parliament: a true and sincere passion. I have not always agreed with her—I still have disagreements with her—but I utterly respect the passion that she has brought to the bill and I congratulate her on her single-mindedness in pursuing the issue. Therefore I ask her, as my convener, whether that will get me credits for next week.

Dispersal remains an issue to which we could apply, at best, that bastard verdict of Scots law, the not proven verdict. The Executive is very much on trial. I am glad that it has accepted the amendments that will require it to undertake early investigation into the success of its dispersal proposals.

There are still some unresolved issues in the area of housing. There is a lack of balance between the various categories of tenure, whether owner-occupiers, tenants in the social rented sector or tenants in the private sector are involved. There are potential difficulties with that lack of balance, which might yet come back to haunt the implementation of the bill. I hope that those difficulties do not destroy the ethos of the bill, which is to address very real problems, particularly in the west of Scotland.

The Parliament deals with about 600 pieces of secondary legislation each year and the bill will bring a very substantial number of statutory instruments. I am in two minds about that. In some cases, it is clear that the minister has put in additional ministerial powers in order to postpone making some difficult decisions. Perhaps that is because the policy is not yet entirely clear in some areas. On the other hand, as was the case during consideration of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, when I pushed for certain things to come out of the bill and into the accompanying access code, the approach that has been taken provides the flexibility to respond to developing situations, and increased understanding comes as the legislative environment changes.

I wish the bill good speed. Our communities need it. I have found it particularly interesting to go to parts of Scotland with which I am not particularly familiar. I confess to members that I had been south of Edinburgh only three times in my life before I got married and came here in my 20s. The first time in my entire life that I went to Glasgow was for the Garscadden by-election in 1978, when I was in my 30s. I have had my knowledge of Glasgow updated, and I understand the real concerns of people in the west of Scotland and in communities in Glasgow.

I congratulate the Executive on finally getting its bill through, but we are still on watch for the implementation.

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