Chamber and committees

Good morning, panel, and thank you for joining us.

One of my questions has already been answered. I do not think that anyone on the panel disagrees that there should be a flat rate fee, not a percentage, if the levy goes ahead, and that it should be a national scheme.

I want to ask about flexibilities in the bill, levies being charged at certain times of the year, and those being reduced or removed at other times. What are the panel’s views on that and any other local exemptions or discounts that you would like?

Good morning, panel. Thank you for joining us. The bill provides for a percentage to be used, which would be for councils to decide, and it places no restrictions on what that may be. What are your views on that approach? What are the pros and cons of using a percentage rather than a flat rate? What challenges will businesses face if the levy is set at different levels in different parts of the country?

Good morning, colleagues. For me especially, and probably for Alex Cole-Hamilton as well—as Edinburgh MSPs—when we had in Edinburgh the ship that housed Ukrainian refugees, we warmly welcomed them. As a society—especially in our schools—Edinburgh stepped up. During that period, I felt that it was key for our Parliament to establish something to discuss their concerns and issues. We did not have that. We could invite people into the Parliament for meetings, but formal arrangements for working with that community needed to be improved.

As Colin Beattie has outlined, for most of us, our support for Ukraine needs to be fully taken forward, and the group gives the Parliament an opportunity to do just that. I hope that the committee will consider our application so that we can build that formal opportunity for the Parliament to take forward long-lasting relationships with Ukraine.

When it comes to cladding, we know that we do not have the workforce to do all the inspections. It was revealed last week that more than half of NHS buildings that might contain RAAC have not been inspected. Where is the Government as regards the provision of support with that to public agencies, especially councils and the NHS? We will not be able to magic up such people overnight. What are ministers’ expectations of the timescale for completion of those inspections, so that we know what the risk is, which is currently unknown?

I have one more question. We have already talked about a potential building register to give us knowledge about what is being built through our public services as well as individual homes. The committee has already done work on the poor quality of new-build homes and flammable cladding systems, and now it is looking at RAAC. With regard to the public sector and the procurement teams that will manage the procurement process in the future, what do you think needs to change in that particular model? I am thinking, for example, of some high-profile cases involving new-build hospitals. Why are we getting that wrong?

When I was on the Health and Sport Committee, I suggested the establishment of a central body to oversee those health projects. The health secretary took the suggestion forward, and I think that it is making a difference. We have to be honest: as we have heard, we are a small country, and sometimes our public services do not have the expertise that is needed. What would such a central body look like? Are there any suggestions that we should take forward? Ailsa, I will bring you back in, as you mentioned the building register that you had started.

Thank you for that.

In talking about homes, you touched on council-owned property and homes that are managed by housing associations. On work with properties where people have bought their homes under the right to buy, is that the model that you see for informing those individuals? How would individual private home owners be part of any inspection regime that councils might do?

I have one last question. We do not have COSLA here today, so we will maybe put these questions to it separately. For a lot of councils, given where we are with the funding formula, there will be questions about how they reprioritise potential building replacements, which they will have to bring forward more quickly. We have heard about replacement schools here in Edinburgh, for example. Are ministers having conversations with COSLA about the fact that some councils might be facing a far bigger challenge to fund those replacements? What will it look like for COSLA to be in negotiations over potential changes to that capital funding in the future?

That is helpful. In the interests of transparency, I hope that that information can be shared with the committee or published, so that we are aware of the individual buildings that we are talking about and the number of council buildings involved.

One of my questions has been covered—it was about not being able to put a figure on the funding—but I will ask some more detailed questions with regard to how we take change forward.

NHS Scotland now has NHS Scotland Assure, which is looking at new buildings. I know that that is not a perfect science and that, as a new organisation, it will often be looking at buildings as they move towards their completion rather than when they were on the drawing board, but is the Scottish Government looking at what that will mean for local authorities and considering a new model? We heard from the first panel some suggestions about a public register of what buildings are made of. Is any work going on around that to consider what needs to change?

The committee has considered flammable cladding systems and we are now discussing RAAC. Are you satisfied that our public building procurement is fit for purpose and that it is looking not only at best value but at the long-term sustainability of the buildings and at live information from around the world when concerns are expressed? It is interesting that the members of our first panel, by and large, seemed to think that, as a country, we are very good as regards the health and safety element but that, rather than public services doing procurement work on their own, there might be a need for more specialist services.