GOVERNMENT’S HOUSING STATEMENT

Posted on October 31, 2007

WELCOME END TO RIGHT TO BUY, BUT GRANTS TO FIRST TIME BUYERS WILL NOT WORK

Responding to the statement by the Scottish Government on plans for housing today Greens said there were some welcome improvements such as ending the right to buy for all new social housing, but that some proposals fell way short of what was needed. Greens were highly critical of SNP plans for offering a £2000 grant to first time buyers as the move would just be an inflationary measure and that there were better alternative policies to provide affordable housing.

Whilst welcoming an intention to improve energy efficiency in housing, Greens said the proposals were ‘nothing new’ and that adopting the Green policy of a commitment to ‘zero-carbon’ homes strategy would do much more to tackle fuel poverty and tackle climate change emissions from the fuel-rich. Greens also called for more money in the forthcoming budget for social-rented housing because what is currently on offer appears very small compared to what is needed.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “I welcome the opportunity to question the Cabinet Secretary on housing issues - though it’s very clear that we need to push the government to do much better.

“There are some positive aspects to the consultation on housing, like ending the Right to Buy for new build social housing - although this had been well trailed in advance. However the proposal to give £2000 grants is a terrible idea, and will only fuel house price inflation. If Ministers want to do something more useful with that money, they should target it at improvements in the energy performance of buildings - this would cut people’s fuel bills, help reduce climate change emissions, and wouldn’t contribute to inflation in the same way.

“In addition, it remains very clear that when the SNP publishes its budget there will need to be far more money for social rented housing, as what’s currently on offer doesn’t show anything like the commitment that’s needed.”

For more information contact 0790 99 33 074 or 0131 348 6360

Notes to editors

1. Statement and consultation can be found here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/This-Week/Speeches and http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/30153156/0

The proposals include:

- Challenging Scotland’s local authorities, developers and builders to increase the rate of new housing supply in Scotland to at least 35,000 a year by the middle of the next decade.

- Increasing the role of local authorities as landlords by offering financial incentives to councils that have the capacity to fund new council housing.

- Ending the Right to Buy on new social housing built by councils and housing associations.

- Establishing a Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative to encourage local authorities and their partners to bring forward proposals for sustainable new settlements to meet demand in particular areas.

- the introduction of the single survey scheme for house sales from late 2008

There are concerns that the consultation could signal the biggest ever potential landgrab on the greenbelt. Proposals on empty homes appear very timid and Local Authorities need greater powers to bring empty homes into use.

2. Extracts from Green Party policy on housing:
The right to buy council houses made more flexible to take account of housing market circumstances. To increase provision of social housing through investment in new-build and, if necessary, encourage social landlords to buy on the open market. To back calls for 30,000 new social rented homes in the next three years.

Poor standards of energy efficiency in much of Scotland’s housing stock are the cause of considerable fuel poverty as well as high carbon emissions: more than half of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the built environment. Home energy efficiency measures in new and existing housing will address both issues, and help to provide greater energy security.
• We will set binding targets to improve the overall energy efficiency of housing by 40% by 2020. We will enhance building standards for improved energy efficiency and will apply the ‘passive house’ standard to ensure that new buildings are zero carbon in use from 2011.
• To ensure that the 2016 fuel poverty target is achieved, we will increase investment in the energy efficiency of our housing stock to ensure that no Scottish home falls below NHER 7 (a national home energy rating of good) by 2016.
.• We will work to ensure that all buildings sold or rented from Spring 2008 have an accurate Home Energy Certificate issued by an independent assessor.
• We will ensure that by 2010, 65,000 homes are built or renovated each year with levels of insulation, passive solar gain and micropower that will achieve zero carbon emissions.

TRIDENT SUMMIT

Posted on October 22, 2007

TRIDENT SUMMIT SPARKS DEMOCRATIC DEBATE ON LEGALITY OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN SCOTLAND

Despite other parties, particularly the Libdems and the Labour Party, opposing Scottish democratic debate on the issue of renewing the Trident missile system, Greens said today’s summit on the issue in Glasgow should be welcomed by the public and politicians alike.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie, who spoke at a session of the conference this morning on whether devolved powers over environmental and planning law could be used to block the new system, said that as it appeared clear that the renewal of Trident was illegal under international law then all parties and individuals in Scotland who are committed to upholding the law had every right to voice their concern, and do something about it.

Patrick Harvie MSP said: “For Wendy Alexander and Nicol Stephen to bleat that Trident has nothing to do with the Scottish Parliament is regrettable. On such a moral, legal and internationally important issue their brand of oppositionalism for the sake of it is deeply disappointing and uninspiring.

“It is vital that every avenue is explored to oppose the Trident system. The proposal to replace Trident is abhorrent, and will make the world a more dangerous place. With the backing of the people and majorities in the Scottish Parliament and among Scots MPs at Westminster we all have an obligation to do what we can to stop the Westminster government forcing another generation of nuclear weapons onto Scotland.”

In June this year, a Green-led debate resulted in an historic vote as the Scottish Parliament sent a resounding NO message to Westminster on the renewal of Trident. The Green motion was agreed by 71 votes to 16. The vote marked the first ever rejection of a nuclear weapons programme in British Parliamentary history. Greens want the Scottish Parliament to use devolved powers to ensure compliance with international law and to protect the health and environment of the Scottish people. (1)
The Green motion lodged by Patrick Harvie MSP congratulated the majority of Scottish MPs who opposed the renewal of Trident at Westminster earlier this year and called on the UK government not to go ahead with its plans. An amendment inserting a recognition that defence is a reserved matter at the moment was put forward by the Libdems and was accepted by both Greens and the SNP - although Greens said this does not stop the Scottish Parliament using devolved powers to ensure compliance with international law and to protect the health and environment of the Scottish people.
Legal opinions provided by Rabinder Singh QC and Professor Christine Chinkin of Cherie Booth’s firm Matrix Chambers and by Philippe Sands QC for Greenpeace, have ruled the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons to be illegal. (2) The majority of Scots and Scottish MPs oppose the renewal of Trident. (3)
For more information contact 0790 99 33 074
Notes to editors
1. www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/5824
2. www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/5025
A legal opinion commissioned by Greenpeace late last year from eminent international lawyer Philippe Sands QC stated that Trident may breach international law, in particular Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the UN Charter and international humanitarian law. Sands advises that the UK’s current policy on the use of Trident is unlawful; renewal or replacement of Trident and the deterrence policy used to justify its replacement or upgrading are inconsistent with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and could give rise to a material breach of that Treaty by the UK
3. A vote in Westminster on 14th March this year saw a majority of Scottish MPs oppose the UK Government plan on Trident. 33 voted against, 22 for, and 4 abstained. See for more details: http://www.scotland4peace.org and also www.publicwhip.org.uk

In a BBC survey of opinion of MPs on Trident renewal last December, a majority of Scottish MPs said they opposed Trident renewal. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6183735.stm
In an ICM poll carried out for Scottish CND, 64% of Scots opposed the renewal of Trident, with 73% opposed for the price tag of £50bn. See: http://www.banthebomb.org/newbombs/poll.htm