Minutes: 19 November 2024

1. Decision on taking business in private:

The Committee agreed to take items 5, 6, 7 and 8 in private.

2. Annual Report of the Ethical Standards Commissioner 2023-24:

The Committee took evidence from—

Ian Bruce, Ethical Standards Commissioner.

3. Annual Report of the Standards Commission 2023-24:

The Committee took evidence from—

Lorna Johnston, Executive Director and Suzanne Vestri, Convener, Standards Commission for Scotland.

4. Short-term Lets:

The Committee took evidence from—

Paul McLennan, Minister for Housing, Andy Kinnaird, Head of Transforming Planning, Anita Stewart, Policy Team Leader and Margaret Main, Lawyer, Legal Directorate, Scottish Government.

5. Annual Report of the Ethical Standards Commissioner 2023-24 (In private):

The Committee considered the evidence heard earlier in the meeting.

6. Annual Report of the Standards Commission 2023-24 (In private):

The Committee considered the evidence heard earlier in the meeting.

7. Short-term Lets (In private):

The Committee considered the evidence heard earlier in the meeting.

8. Work programme (In private):

The Committee considered its work programme and agreed to—

• invite the Minister for Housing to give evidence at a future meeting on the Housing inquiry;

• hold evidence sessions on the Scottish Government’s proposed amendments to the Housing Bill ahead of Stage 2 commencing, and to write to the Minister for Housing requesting sight of the proposed amendments before those evidence sessions begin;

• invite the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to provide oral evidence on the Scottish Government budget for 2025-26, in January;

• Invite written evidence on the potential health implications of the Building (Scotland) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2024 which permit the use of bioenergy and peat heating systems in new buildings; and

• Invite the Minister for Housing to give evidence on cladding remediation and the Acting Minister for Climate Action to give evidence on heat in buildings, following on from the conclusions drawn in the Committee’s recently published tracker report for 2023-24.