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Does Bob Doris agree that, because of facilities being far away or people not being informed, some people inadvertently fly-tip and that free collections would make a difference in that regard?

Will the member take an intervention?

Parliament will be aware of the concerning fire on Breadalbane Street in my constituency, where combustible cladding may have been a factor. Does the First Minister share my empathy for everyone affected and my gratitude to the many firefighters and other emergency service personnel who responded? Does the First Minister agree that this very worrying incident emphasises the importance of high-rise firefighting capability in urban areas and the extra funding for the fire service in the budget, and that it is vital that the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill and the cladding remediation programme are taken forward with urgency by Parliament, Government and developers?

I, too, commend colleagues for securing the debate. I look forward to hearing the Government’s response, building on the funding and planning that have already been proposed.

What more will be done to support my constituents with long Covid? As part of those considerations, I want to raise awareness of a group of people in my constituency with ME who have been in touch with me for some time, and whom I have sought to represent. That is, unfortunately, a growing community, in my constituency and indeed internationally, because of the parallels between and synergies of the suffering of those with long Covid and those with ME.

I wish briefly to emphasise the importance of considering ME in tandem with how we support people with long Covid. ME should not be forgotten. There have been more and more cases of ME internationally since the outbreak of the pandemic. Such conditions require particular attention for individuals, with their various symptoms, but the same debilitating effects are present among those with ME and those with long Covid. Those people need our help, and I look forward to hearing about what further actions—research, support and treatment—the Scottish Government may be able to undertake.

I, too, pay credit to Mr Wightman for that.

I do not mean this to be a party-political point, but is Jeremy Balfour as frustrated as I am that, at the beginning of the process, the then Scottish Government housing minister proactively tried to engage the UK Government on the crossing issues—devolved and reserved—all of which are pertinent? Unfortunately, there was not a good intergovernmental response from the UK Government at that time.

Like colleagues, I welcome the bill, which concerns an issue that I have been engaged in, on behalf of my constituents in Edinburgh Northern and Leith, for some time.

First, I pay tribute to my constituents who are dealing with the issue and thank them for their engagement with me. I have seen and heard at first hand how stressful and frustrating the long-running situation has been for everyone who has been affected since the issue came to light. Colleagues have talked about what happened in 2017—there was, of course, a thorough assessment of public sector buildings in Scotland at that time—but it was in 2019 that the issue became more prominent in the minds of private owners, when legislation that did not cover the whole UK was introduced in the House of Commons. That created a lot of challenges, which I will come to in a minute.

Since the whole scenario began, as a constituency MSP, I have been working alongside partners and colleagues, including the minister and others in the Government, to help to realise meaningful solutions. I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to progress the remediation programme and to safeguard people living in buildings with cladding that presents a risk to life.

I appreciate the significant pressures that come with a delivery programme of this scale for the civil service and the skills base. I must also acknowledge the challenge of the complexity of overlapping devolved and reserved issues. I know from correspondence with the minister at the time that, unfortunately, not enough attention was paid at a UK level to the differences in tenure in Scotland. We have different property law and, to an extent, different building standards. Not enough attention was paid to the fact that UK financing of the operation of the mortgage market and insurance was a UK-wide challenge and that knowledge of the Scottish situation was required to ensure that my constituents and other people across Scotland were not disadvantaged because of where they owned their property.

There has been progress in that regard. The concept of the single building assessment is a move in that direction, as we are trying to provide a framework that will be recognised by UK Finance and a safety assessment that will allow people to sell and insure their properties, rather than having to obtain individual certification for their property in a large building, which was the case in the early years of the problem.

We have made progress, and the bill will be part of how we move into the next phase. Everyone has a right to be safe and secure in their home and to be able to move on in life if they need to sell their house. Of course, for every property owner, insuring their house is an important aspect. We need more urgency in the work to identify and fix unsafe cladding in my constituency of Edinburgh Northern and Leith and across Scotland. Progress has been made, but there is more to do, and the bill is part of that.

Important points have already been made about what will be assessed as part of an SBA. We need certainty about what we will be undertaking. We need clarity as soon as possible, and I note that the Government has given an undertaking to provide that later in the spring, which is welcome.

My constituents have stressed to me the barriers that they have experienced in securing insurance and mortgages, as I alluded to, and how that has left them trapped in properties that could be not only unsafe but simply unsuitable for their needs and those of their families if, for example, they are having more children. We need on-going engagement with the UK Government and UK Finance, and that needs to be a relationship of good faith, in both directions, so that insurance providers and mortgage lenders understand the SBA specification and are part of its development and finalisation.

I know from productive meetings that I have had with the minister, including the most recent one, when he met several of my constituents—I am grateful to him for that—that the Scottish Government is taking a number of actions to help to bring about the assurances that are desperately needed now.

Fundamentally and simply, as I have raised with ministers before, my constituents are seeking clear and transparent communication. That would make a big difference, and I am glad that the committee highlighted the issue in paragraphs 29 and 44 of its report. Unnecessary anxiety has been caused by multiple actors—whether it is developers, factors or surveyors—relaying inconsistent information and sporadically leaving some of my constituents to hear at second hand what is happening with their property and to interpret the findings for themselves. We need to improve the communication process. Communications need to be regular and clear. I appreciate the challenge in that, but it would make a big difference.

I welcome the powers in the bill to take actions and instruct where necessary and where it is difficult to achieve appropriate consent under the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004. That is welcome, as is the introduction of the cladding assurance register. However, if issues are identified and a plan is in place, will that allow registration on the register? Willie Coffey made good points about how we balance the need for a register that assures safety with the need to help people to move on and transact with their property. If we can find a solution that allows both, that would be the best arrangement.

I appreciate that there is not much time in hand any more, Presiding Officer—

Will Jeremy Balfour take an intervention?

Thank you.

The establishment of a responsible developers scheme to support collaboration with developers and to set out expectations is a welcome move, but it is unfortunate that we have had to get to this point. I know that nine large developers have already committed to undertake work on the buildings for which they are responsible, which is welcome. Unfortunately, I am aware of some developers that have not made that commitment, which has taken us to this point of legislation. That is unfortunate. I am glad that the legislation will be there to urge, encourage and instruct developers to do what they should be doing with the buildings for which they are or have been responsible. There are also important points about orphan buildings being given equal attention.

The bill is progress. Let us improve it at stages 2 and 3, get it on the statute books and move forward with the greater urgency that others have rightly emphasised.

I thank the minister for that substantial answer, and I appreciate the need for actions to address depopulation in some areas of Scotland. Conversely, however, we also require actions to meet the growing needs of areas with significant growing populations—such as my constituency of Edinburgh Northern and Leith. As the Scottish Government begins to consider its budget for 2024-25, will the ministerial task force examine rapid population growth in the Lothians, and will it consider meeting Lothian MSPs, local councils, NHS Lothian and other relevant bodies to hear about the pressures and concerns?

To ask the Scottish Government how it is taking forward the work and priorities of its ministerial population task force. (S6O-03178)