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Yes.

I thank the panel members for joining us today.

My question is about private tenancies and how to support people who are furthest from the housing market into tenancies. You have comprehensively outlined what you see as a change in landlord behaviour. Record numbers of people in Scotland are living in temporary accommodation. Is that a direct result of that change and of the people who are furthest from the market being unable to access private tenancies? That is likely to have a more pronounced impact in rural Scotland, where the loss of even one property can have a huge impact. Sarah-Jane Laing, will you talk about the rural dimension?

Good morning, panel, and thank you for joining us. What impact has the rent freeze had on the ability of people who are furthest removed from the housing market to access a sustainable tenancy? What evidence do you have of it?

Thank you. I move on to the Scottish Government’s proposed level of rent increases. To what extent do you agree with the differentiation around the cap of 3 per cent—6 per cent in certain circumstances—especially in relation to what we heard this week about the University of Glasgow, which has announced a 9.5 per cent increase in student rents? Why do you think the Government has allowed that in different sectors?

We might need to return to the issue. My understanding from my conversations with the council is that people who will be operating before September are being told that they do not need to apply until after the festival. If this is just a one-off, I doubt that people will apply until next year, when the council could face a tsunami of applications. I do not think that the approach will necessarily fix the problem now; it will just build it up for later.

Cabinet secretary, you touched on the issue of licensing schemes being applied inconsistently across Scotland, specifically in relation to floor plans. Have you provided councils with guidance that a detailed architect floor plan is not needed and that a hand-drawn one is acceptable? What guidance is being provided to councils on what is expected?

Thanks for that. Around the world, what is the trend? Ireland, for example, had such intervention and legislation in place ahead of us, and now has a record low number of urban and rural properties being available to rent and is seeing big rent increases. The intervention has not had the impact that the Irish Government desired. Do you think that Scotland will buck that trend?

Good morning, panellists. Thank you for joining us here and online. I have a couple of questions. The first is about the pause on evictions until the end of September 2023. How proportionate and necessary is that?

Although I am happy to support the proposed extension, I have concerns, because it feels as though many of the issues that have been highlighted have not been properly taken on board and as though the opportunity has been missed to look again at how the measure can be applied across councils. Sadly, I think that we will be back here discussing the issue in the autumn. My council here in Edinburgh certainly does not seem to be in a space in which the licence can be delivered.

Although I welcome the extension, six months is not enough, and the Government has not taken on board the potential opportunities to change the legislation. We will support the motion today, but I wanted to put that on record.

Have others had the same experience?

Good morning, cabinet secretary and officials. Thank you for joining us.

Why has the Scottish Government put forward an extension of only six months, not a year, given that the aim—I think—is really to cater for the situation here in Edinburgh over the festival period?