Seòmar agus comataidhean

Our next item of business is the committee’s consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. I welcome Paul McLennan, the Minister for Housing, and his officials to the meeting.

I remind the officials that they are here to assist the minister during the stage 2 debate. They are not permitted to participate in the debate and, for that reason, members should not direct any questions to them.

We will also be joined throughout the meeting by other MSPs who will be speaking to their amendments. I give a very warm welcome to all of them.

I will briefly explain the procedure that we will be following during today’s proceedings for anyone watching. Members should have with them a copy of the bill, the marshalled list and the groupings of amendments. Those documents are available on the bill’s web page on the Scottish Parliament’s website for anyone who is observing.

I will call each amendment individually, in the order of the marshalled list. The member who lodged the amendment should either move it or say “not moved” when it is called. If that member does not move it, any other member present may do so. The groupings of amendments set out the amendments in the order in which they will be debated. There will be one debate on each group of amendments.

In each debate, I will call the member who lodged the first amendment in the group to speak to and move that amendment and to speak to all the other amendments in the group. I will then call other members with amendments in the group to speak to, but not move, their amendments and to speak to other amendments in the group, if they wish.

I will then call other members who wish to speak in the debate. Members who wish to speak should indicate that by catching my or the clerk’s attention. I will then call the minister, if he has not already spoken in the debate.

Finally, I will call the member who moved the first amendment in the group to wind up and to indicate whether he or she wishes to press the amendment or to withdraw it. If the amendment is pressed, I will put the question on the amendment. If a member wishes to withdraw an amendment after it has been moved and debated, I will ask whether any member present objects. If there is an objection, I will immediately put the question on the amendment. Later amendments in a group are not debated again when they are reached. If they are moved, I will put the question on them straight away.

If there is a division, only committee members are entitled to vote. Voting is done by a show of hands and it is important that members keep their hands raised clearly until the clerk has recorded their names. If there is a tie, I must exercise a casting vote.

The committee is required to consider and decide on each section of the bill, and I will put the question on each of those provisions at the appropriate point. We will now begin our consideration of the amendments.

Before Section 41

Thank you. Kyle, would you like to come in on that?

Jillian Matthew mentioned the fact that the Scottish Government is refreshing its digital strategy this year. The committee received evidence that older people on low incomes are probably the most disadvantaged group in that regard. I also want to look at the challenges that ethnic minority groups face. What would you like to see in the refreshed strategy to address the disadvantages that have been identified?

Thank you. Does anyone else want to come in on that—

Good morning, and a very warm welcome to our witnesses. My apologies for being online this morning.

From the evidence that we have heard so far, it is apparent that we need to provide people with clearer digital and non-digital methods to access services. I want to explore a wee bit more whether Governments and councils have the right balance between supporting older people to get online and offline alternatives. Do you have any evidence on accessibility for those of different ages? It is unfortunate that we do not have people from COSLA here to provide in-depth evidence on that, but I put that out there to anyone who wants to answer.

Thank you.

I will move on to focus on ethnic minority communities and on connectivity and digital access for older people in those communities. Connectivity is not always easy or accessible, particularly for people in rural areas or, as has been pointed out, where there are language barriers.

A study was carried out by Heriot-Watt University with a proper toolkit in place to address language barriers and make the process more straightforward for people, whether they engage in person or online. Apart from the language barrier, the challenges that ethnic minority groups face include poverty and lack of community.

I wonder what your thoughts are on that. Would anyone would like to comment on whether that should be part of the strategy that the Scottish Government is developing? Should COSLA have a discussion on using that toolkit, which is so amenable for some of our deprived older people and minority groups?

The committee will report on the outcome of its consideration of both instruments in due course. I invite the committee to delegate authority to me, as convener, to approve drafts of the report for publication. Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

Is the Scottish Government making any contingency plans for benefit uprating to be higher than was forecast for 2026 and 2027?

Good morning, and welcome to the seventh meeting in 2025 of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. We have received no apologies. Our first item of business is a decision on taking business in private. Do we agree to take agenda item 6 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Our next item of business is consideration of two statutory instruments. The instruments have been laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve them before they come into force. I welcome to the meeting Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, and her officials from the Scottish Government: Kyle Murray, who is the procedural and international policy team leader, and Gemma MacAllister, who is a lawyer in the legal directorate. Thank you for joining us today.

Following the evidence session, the committee will be invited under agenda items 3 and 4 to consider motions to approve the instruments. I remind everyone that Scottish Government officials can speak under this item but not in the debate that follows. The evidence session will focus on the regulations, as the order covers devolved benefits that are administered by the Department for Work and Pensions under agency agreements in which the Scottish Government has agreed to follow United Kingdom Government policy.

I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.