Presiding Officer,
I am pleased to be able to make a short contribution for the Scottish Conservatives in summing up in today’s Stage 3 debate.
Like others I pay tribute to the members of the Local Government & Communities Committee- including my good friend David McLetchie- for the excellent work they have done on the Bill, including the Stage 1 report which informed our Stage 1 debate, and the improvements at Stage 2 which effectively clarified and simplified elements of the Bill.
I also want to thank the organisations such as Citizens Advice Scotland which have provided useful briefings to me at this and previous stages of the legislative process.
As my colleague David McLetchie has indicated, the Scottish Conservatives will be voting for the Bill today at Stage 3. David has already dealt with some of the points of detail in terms of today’s amendments, having himself helped improve the Bill at Committee Stage.
In general terms we believe it is appropriate that existing good practice in the area of repossessions is codified and that previous legislation is built upon. It is also right that repossession pre-action is put into statute.
One issue that I identified during my contribution in the Stage 1 debate, as did other Members, was the widespread concern about the lack of Scotland-specific data on the number of repossessions and we look to this being addressed.
Presiding Officer, during this period of significant economic difficulties, all of us obviously want to see every possible measure put in place to prevent our constituents having to face repossession- something which ranks as one of the most traumatic life experiences- and I hope that today’s Bill will help improve the current legislative framework and boost the rights of under-pressure home owners, both in the short term and in the future.
**********************************************************************
For latest news and information about all aspects of Parliamentary business, MSPs and our work, visit the Parliament's website at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/.
For information about how you can visit the Parliament, go to http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/visitingHolyrood/index.htm.
Watch Parliamentary business live at http://www.holyrood.tv/
