Seòmar agus comataidhean

Are members content to delegate to me signing off of the report?

Members indicated agreement.

Agenda item 10 is consideration of two Scottish statutory instruments. Members have no comments; do we agree that we wish to make no recommendations in relation to them?

Members indicated agreement.

We move into private session.

The question is, that the motion be agreed to. Are we all agreed?

Members: No.

We move on to the fourth item on our agenda. I invite the Deputy First Minister to move motion S6M-00961.

Motion moved,

That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Electoral Arrangements) Regulations 2021 [draft] be approved.—[John Swinney]

Motion agreed to.

Agenda item 6 is consideration of motion S6M-00959.

Motion moved,

That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Shetland Islands (Electoral Arrangements) Regulations 2021 [draft] be approved.—[John Swinney]

Motion agreed to.

Good morning and welcome to the sixth meeting in 2021 of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. I ask all members and witnesses to ensure that their mobile phones are on silent and that all other notifications—including those on Surface computers, if you are using one—are turned off during the meeting.

At agenda item 1, I invite the committee to take items 11 and 12 in private. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Apparently, Ellinore is not there.

I suspend the meeting briefly, so that we can check out the technical challenges that we are facing.

That was a good, quick exploration of the theme of funding and resourcing of planning departments. Sticking with funding, we will now talk a bit about the Scottish Government’s budget for building affordable housing. Paul McLennan will lead on that.