S3M-3427 Housing

Scottish Parliament

Thursday 12 February 2009

[THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at 09:10]

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Housing

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan): The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-3427, in the name of Mary Mulligan, on housing.

10:29

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11:29

The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson):





My participation in the debate in no way adumbrates a change in my responsibilities, but it allows me to talk about land provision and infrastructure, to which the last part of the motion refers. In the five minutes that I have, I will try to deal with as many members' points as possible with brio and dynamism.

First, I will make a general point. The first law of epigenetics is that the more highly optimised an organism is for one environment, the more adversely it is affected by a change in that environment. The point is that taking a diverse approach has an intrinsic value. That is precisely why we disagree with and do not sign up to Jamie McGrigor's comment that there is no place for council housing. Of course there is a place for council housing, as part of the diverse housing provision that is necessary to meet our needs.

It is worth noting that the nature of housing tenure is not necessarily linked to how nations work. Twenty years ago, among the countries that now form the EU 27, the country with the highest proportion of rented accommodation was Germany and the country with the highest proportion of owner-occupied property was Bulgaria. Therefore, even with political systems and political leadership, diversity is significant.

Money has—of course—been a thread that has run through much of the debate. Yes—money is difficult to obtain for the Government, for housing associations and for businesses. That is precisely why it is important that the Government has put money on the table to help with cash flow for companies that have unsold stock, for example. This year, we have put in place £35 million of accelerated funding. Of that, £10.235 million is for construction, to deliver 716 new homes, and £12.72 million is for land purchase. When the former Minister for Communities and Sport and I visited the Irish Government a couple of weeks ago, we found that land purchase has been the key to that Government's ability to engage in many housing developments and in economic development. Land banks give Governments something to bring to the table. The accelerated funding also includes £12.11 million to secure 204 unsold new properties. In total, 1,700 new homes will be supported. More fundamental is the fact that cash will flow back into the system, which will make a real difference.

Ross Finnie chided us somewhat for talking about the low number of council houses that the previous Administration built, so I will say nothing about that. However, by excluding council houses from the way forward and saying that his party will support the Tory amendment, he makes a grosser error than he thinks that we made by focusing on the low number of houses that were built. I urge him to think more carefully.

Rhoda Grant made a good point about difficulties in rural areas because of incomers outbidding locals. We recognise those difficulties, which are the reason why diversity and more affordable housing are needed.

Lead developers have been a thread in the debate. The consultation is still in progress. Rhoda Grant said that she had suggestions—let us hear them and we will of course consider them.

In a pretty standard speech, Johann Lamont agreed with many of the Government's arguments yet managed to express her points in a way that suggested otherwise. I will ignore that. However, she made one good point that is worth exploring—that about the tension between economies and diseconomies of scale. Of course room exists for big and efficient national organisations. However, we also need organisations that respond to local needs and are connected to local people. We must achieve the right balance, because that tension exists.

Johann Lamont: Will the minister give way?

Stewart Stevenson: I am sorry—I am almost out of time.

The Government is—undoubtedly—responsible and reliable. We are resilient in the face of change and responsive to change. I am happy to support everything that my colleague Nicola Sturgeon said and, of course, we will support the Labour Party at 5 o'clock.

11:34