To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it proposes to include in the forthcoming Housing Bill.
I am publishing today our detailed proposals for the Housing Bill. The publication of this consultation paper,
Better Homes for Scotland's Communities, is the next stage in the process of preparing the Housing Bill. It builds on the responses from a large number of organisations and individuals to the Green Paper published in February last year, on the responses to the other discussion papers on specific issues which we issued last December, and on the regular discussions we have had with a wide range of housing interest groups over the past few months. The closing date for the consultation is 29 September 2000.
Good housing provided well is crucial in nurturing the strong and just communities within which individuals can flourish. Our aim is for a range of good quality, secure housing options to be available in every community, and the legislative proposals set out in the consultation paper are directed towards achieving this goal.
The Bill will lay the framework for the extension of community ownership in Scotland. It will bring together the fragmented systems of the past by introducing a new single tenancy, single local housing plans, a single regulatory framework, and strategic local housing budgets. Our aim is to guarantee the highest standards all round.
We propose to introduce a new single tenancy which will be available to tenants of all social landlords. This new tenancy will build on the provisions of the existing secure tenancy to produce the best ever package of tenants rights. As part of the new single tenancy we are modernising the right to buy, giving new powers to landlords to tackle anti-social tenants, and providing tenants with new rights of succession and consultation, to achieve a better balance between the interests of individuals, landlords and communities.
We intend to establish a new single framework of regulation for all social landlords, including local authorities, which will promote consistently high standards of housing management across the sector. The new regulatory framework will be overseen by a new executive agency of the Scottish Executive, building on the skills and experience of Scottish Homes in this area.
The new agency will also become responsible for regulating the way in which local authorities undertake their duties in relation to homelessness. The Homelessness Task Force has made detailed recommendations for items to be included in the Housing Bill, and the consultation document sets out our proposals for taking these forward, including provisions to strengthen local authorities' duties towards homeless people; to create new rights for homeless people and improve existing rights; and to create new responsibilities for both registered social landlords and local authorities for housing homeless people.
The consultation document also re-emphasises our belief that local authorities should continue to develop their strategic and enabling role in relation to housing requirements in their areas. We are therefore proposing to make them responsible for producing regular strategic housing plans which are responsive to local needs and opportunities, and to give them an increased say in the funding of housing development in their areas where they have transferred their own stock into community ownership, or where there are appropriate checks and balances in place and there is general agreement locally and on the part of registered social landlords and funders.
These changes will be complemented by changes to Scottish Homes. We propose that the new executive agency will take on the current functions and powers of Scottish Homes, which will cease to exist in its current form. The agency will be responsible to Ministers for development funding until local authorities take over this responsibility, for monitoring the use of development funding once this responsibility has moved to local authorities, and for monitoring local authorities local housing plans. In addition, the agency will continue to play a vital role in taking forward the Executive's policies and programmes at the national, regional and community levels, by developing innovative housing solutions and promoting community regeneration.
The consultation document details our proposals for modernising the funding arrangements for improvement and repair grants in order to better help those most in need. More generally, funding sources for the most vulnerable people in our society will be brought together to facilitate the development of an integrated policy as part of the UK-wide Supporting People project.
Alongside other policies and programmes which we are taking forward without the need for new legislation, our proposals for the Housing Bill are a key part of our integrated approach to meeting the housing and community needs of Scotland. Taken together, these changes to the way in which housing provision is planned, funded and regulated in Scotland will provide a firm foundation for the radical improvement in the quality of housing which is our aim.