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Yes. I am happy with that proposal. If somebody wants to comment on that in answering the next question, that is fine.

I will move on to my next question. The Scottish Government has said that it will not progress with the proposed heat in buildings bill until it is satisfied that the interventions in it will decrease fuel poverty at the same time as decarbonising homes. What impact might that have on preventing damp and mould in homes? What should be included in that bill to alleviate the problem?

Again, convener, I am happy for you to decide who answers.

I was going to ask the witnesses for their views on the UK Government’s proposed cuts to disability benefits and how those might impact, but we have covered that a wee bit. Maybe one of the panel members could come in on that, if the issue is a concern. Obviously, they are proposed cuts at the moment, but people who are receiving disability benefits are some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Thank you, convener. The Scottish Government has said that it will not progress with the heat in buildings bill as it is currently drafted until it is

“satisfied that the interventions in it will decrease fuel poverty at the same time as they decarbonise houses.”—[Official Report, 11 March 2025; c 65.]

What impact, if any, do you think that will have on preventing damp and mould in homes? What, in your opinion, should be included in the bill to alleviate the problem?

People seem to be heeding your earlier call, convener.

How would the witnesses characterise the experience of tenants who have been decanted from socially rented homes with RAAC elements to alternative properties? What issues have arisen, and how could those best be addressed?

At the outset, I acknowledge my colleague Willie Coffey’s stance and agree with him, to some extent. The petition has been around for a while and I think that it is important that the committee knows what its remit is in relation to the petition, as opposed to wider issues. I also agree with other colleagues and sympathise with the petition. The issues are affecting all our communities.

I have done bits of work and raised questions on various aspects that the petition considers, as have other colleagues. For example, not that long ago, along with colleagues from other parties, I attended a meeting of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee to discuss swimming pools, which have been a big issue, and I have done a bit of work in a cross-party group forum on access to football pitches. Meghan Gallacher is right that funding is an issue, but there are also other issues and the landscape is complex. For example, there are international issues with the chlorine supply for swimming pools, and we know that energy costs are problematic across the board, but especially for swimming pools. I feel that nobody is pulling all the issues together. I wonder whether there is an opportunity for the committee to do that.

I would be open to keeping the petition open and using it as a springboard to consider the wider issues, and to writing to local authorities to give us a bit more information before we decide whether to close the petition. I am also open to closing the petition and looking at including the issues that it raises in our work programme. I am happy to hear what other members think. Whatever decision we take, the petition has sparked the committee’s interest in the wider issues, which I would like us to take forward. I am not entirely sure whether we should do that by keeping the petition open or not, convener. I am sitting on the fence.

Thank you for that—you have predicted my next two questions, which is really good.

That was quite impressive.

I was going to ask whether you know how many assessors might be needed to carry out a revaluation and what the potential impact on the appeals system could be. Ellen Leaver began to touch on that, but I do not know whether anyone wants to say anything else on that.

I will move on to another line of questioning, which is resources and potential costs. Professor David Heald suggested that the costs of revaluation in Wales could be used as a starting point for estimating the costs of revaluation in Scotland. Given the difference in the number of households, is a cost of around £25 million a fair estimate? You may have heard that figure in last week’s session.

Thank you. Cabinet secretary and Councillor Hagmann, this question is probably one for you. How will the Scottish Government and local government communicate any proposed changes to council tax?

Thank you. Councillor Hagmann, I will take you back to an exchange that you had with Mark Griffin when you were talking about the people who reflect on proposals for council tax change being likely to be those who are most impacted. The Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation Scotland told us that there are risks in the efforts to reform being

“ambushed by those who will be disadvantaged.”—[Official Report, Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, 25 February; c 23.]

Can those risks be mitigated? If so, how? If you want to answer my first question, you can just link it in.