Meeting of the Parliament Wednesday 29 June 2016 Session 5 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Wednesday 29 June 2016 CONTENTS Col. PORTFOLIO QUESTION TIME ............................................................................................................................... 1 COMMUNITIES, SOCIAL SECURITY AND EQUALITIES ............................................................................................. 1 Energy-efficient Housing (West Aberdeenshire) .......................................................................................... 1 Homelessness (Oil and Gas Sector Job Losses) ......................................................................................... 2 Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare (Meeting) ................................................................................. 3 Social Rented Housing (Tenants in Moderate Housing Need) .................................................................... 5 Proposed Planning Legislation ..................................................................................................................... 6 High Rents .................................................................................................................................................... 8 Post Offices (Town Centre Economies) ....................................................................................................... 9 Occupational Segregation .......................................................................................................................... 10 Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare (Meeting) ............................................................................... 11 Waste Management Facilities (Planning Guidelines) ................................................................................. 11 Town Centres (Government Investment) ................................................................................................... 13 Local Government Budget Reductions ....................................................................................................... 14 Housing (Building Rate) .............................................................................................................................. 15 PROVISIONAL OUTTURN 2015-16 ..................................................................................................................... 17 Statement—[Derek Mackay]. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution (Derek Mackay) ................................................. 17 GENDER AND THE WORKPLACE ........................................................................................................................ 29 Motion moved—[Jamie Hepburn]. Amendment moved—[Annie Wells]. Amendment moved—[Alex Rowley]. The Minister for Employability and Training (Jamie Hepburn) ................................................................... 29 Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) ..................................................................................................................... 34 Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) ................................................................................................ 38 Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) ...................................................................................... 41 Rachael Hamilton (South Scotland) (Con) ................................................................................................. 43 Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) ................................................................................................. 45 Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................... 47 Christina McKelvie (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP) ............................................................... 50 Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Con) ....................................................................................................... 52 Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP) ............................................................................................... 54 Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green) .............................................................................................................. 56 Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) ................................................................................ 58 Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab).......................................................................................................... 60 Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) ........................................................................... 62 Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) ....................................................................................................... 64 Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 66 Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)....................................................................................................... 68 The Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities (Angela Constance).................. 71 BUSINESS MOTION ........................................................................................................................................... 76 Motion moved—[Joe FitzPatrick]—and agreed to. PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU MOTIONS ................................................................................................................. 77 Motions moved—[Joe FitzPatrick]. DECISION TIME ................................................................................................................................................ 78 SREBRENICA GENOCIDE (21ST ANNIVERSARY) ................................................................................................. 82 Michael Russell (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) .................................................................................................... 82 Ruth Davidson (Edinburgh Central) (Con) ................................................................................................. 84 Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) ........................................................................ 86 Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................... 87 Ivan McKee (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) ........................................................................................................ 89 Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP) ........................................................................................... 91 The Minister for International Development and Europe (Dr Alasdair Allan) ............................................. 93 1 29 JUNE 2016 2 As for the member’s constituency, area-based Scottish Parliament schemes to install energy efficiency measures have been carried out in places across west Wednesday 29 June 2016 Aberdeenshire, including Insch, Echt, Huntly, Alford, Aboyne and Banchory. Further schemes [The Deputy Presiding Officer opened the are planned for Monymusk, Lumsden, Rhynie and meeting at 14:00] Huntly. If Mr Burnett wants to join me in asking his Tory colleagues south of the border to increase Portfolio Question Time capital budgets, I will welcome his help. Homelessness (Oil and Gas Sector Job Communities, Social Security and Losses) Equalities 2. Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (LD): The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda To ask the Scottish Government what assessment Fabiani): The first item of business is portfolio it has made of how the loss of jobs in the oil and question time. To get in as many members as gas sector has affected homelessness in the possible, I would prefer short and succinct north-east and what action it has taken to mitigate questions, and answers to match. this. (S5O-00062) The Minister for Local Government and Energy-efficient Housing (West Aberdeenshire) Housing (Kevin Stewart): Aberdeen City Council 1. Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) and Aberdeenshire Council have said that there (Con): To ask the Scottish Government how much has been no increase in the number of it has allocated to making houses in west homelessness presentations in their areas. That is Aberdeenshire more energy efficient. (S5O-00061) supported by Scottish Government statistics, which show that homelessness applications in The Minister for Local Government and Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire fell continuously Housing (Kevin Stewart): Under our home throughout 2015. In the final quarter of that year, energy efficiency programmes for Scotland area- the figures were at their lowest level since 14 based schemes programme and its predecessor, years ago, when electronic recording began. In the universal home insulation scheme, addition, private rental costs have reduced in both Aberdeenshire Council has since 2010 been areas. allocated a total of just under £12 million to deliver home energy efficiency improvements to private The homelessness legislation provides a safety sector houses in selected areas across net for all unintentionally homeless households. It Aberdeenshire. is a strong form of mitigation if people