Seòmar agus comataidhean

I have a final question. We are at the beginning of, or on the cusp of, an artificial intelligence revolution. Could that be an agent for change by reducing regional inequalities in Scotland, or is it more likely to make the wealthy parts of Scotland wealthier and should we make a concerted effort to avoid that?

Good morning, everyone. I wonder whether I could continue to lock you into the discussion about Scotland’s regional imbalance. I am thinking, in particular, about my area, Ayrshire, compared with other parts of Scotland, principally the east and the north.

I have been a member of the Parliament for about 18 years. All that time, the indicators in my Ayrshire community—Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, specifically—have lagged behind Scotland as a whole in earnings, health inequalities and poverty. Bridgette Wessels talked about strategies—every now and then, new ones seem to pop up—but, despite being awash with them, the picture, by and large, has not really changed in all the time that I have been here.

I want to ask for your reflections on why that is. Do Governments know how to close those gaps? In the current strategies, such as the NSET, do you see the opportunity to reduce regional imbalances and bridge the gap that is clearly there and has been for many years, not only in Ayrshire but in places such as Colin Smyth’s area, Dumfries and Galloway?

Simon, do you have any different ideas to share about how we might look forward to dealing with the regional imbalances in my part of Scotland?

You have introduced the thorny subject of transport links. For example, young people in Ayrshire who want to work in Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh face a journey of two or more hours and have to change not only trains but railway stations in order to travel a distance of about 65 miles, which is just ridiculous. Is transport infrastructure a key driver? It causes depopulation in my part of Scotland, where people will vote with their feet and move away rather than make that kind of journey every day to work in Scotland’s capital city. They just do not do that and they do not commute.

The result of the division is: For 4, Against 3, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 283 agreed to.

Amendment 207 moved—[Rachael Hamilton].

Our main business this morning is day 2 of the committee’s consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. I welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and her officials to the meeting. We are also joined by other members of the Scottish Parliament who have lodged amendments to the bill and are present to debate those amendments.

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

I will call each amendment individually in the order that is on the marshalled list. When an amendment is called, the member who lodged it should either move it or say that it is not moved. 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, and 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 the other amendments in the group. I will then call other members with amendments in the group to speak to—but not to move—their amendments and to speak to other amendments in the group, if they wish. I will then call any other members who wish to speak in the debate. Members who wish to speak should indicate that by catching my eye or the clerk’s attention. I will then call the cabinet secretary, if she 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, and voting is done by show of hands. It is important that members keep their hands raised clearly until the clerk has recorded their names. If there is a tied vote, I must exercise a casting vote. The committee is also required to consider and decide on each section of and schedule to the bill and the bill’s long title. I will put the question on each of those provisions at the appropriate point.

We will not dispose of any amendments beyond the end of part 1 of the bill today. With that, we will begin the proceedings.

Section 9—Power to designate rent control area

The result of the division is: For 2, Against 5, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 99 disagreed to.

Section 10, as amended, agreed to.

Section 11—Duty to keep rent control area under review

Amendments 287 and 288 moved—[Shirley-Anne Somerville]—and agreed to.

Amendment 289 moved—[Shirley-Anne Somerville].

Amendment 289A moved—[Maggie Chapman].

Amendment 281, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 412, 147, 282, 283, 207, 284 to 289, 289A, 290, 290A, 291 to 293, 293A, 294 to 302, 327, 332, 332A to 332H, 47, 333, 215, 48, 334, 49, 61, 61A, 61B, 62, 63, 63A, 64, 64A to 64C, 335, 65, 336 to 353, 66 to 68, 393, 398, 401, 402, 410, 77, 50, 78 to 80 and 406.

I remind members of the pre-emptions in this group, as set out in the groupings, including the correction that amendment 286 pre-empts amendment 55 in the group that relates to student tenancies and accommodation. I call the cabinet secretary to move amendment 281 and to speak to it and the other amendments in the group.

Welcome back.

Amendment 148, in the name of Maggie Chapman, is grouped with amendments 149, 158 to 160, 424, 425, 186, 185, 426, 199 and 196. I call Maggie Chapman to move amendment 148 and speak to all the amendments in the group.

The result of the division is: For 5, Against 2, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 285 agreed to.