THE SCOTTISH Greens have accused Nicola Sturgeon of trying to make Scotland “less fair and less equal” in a row over help for tenants.

The accusation came after SNP and Tory MSPs on Holyrood’s Covid-19 Committee voted against a Green attempt to amend emergency coronavirus laws to bring in legislation freezing rents across Scotland for the next two years.

An attempt to stop any Covid-era arrears being used as a factor in any future evictions was also rejected.

Speaking after the vote, Green MSP Andy Wightman said: “Housing is a human right, and access to good housing is a public health issue. That’s why it is deeply disappointing to see SNP MSPs once again team up with the Tories to block clear progress on social justice.

“A rent freeze and a ban on evictions based on arrears accumulated as a result of this crisis would have provided much-needed security for people who are financially most at risk.”

Wightman added: “The First Minister said she wanted to build a fairer and more equal Scotland from this crisis, yet her party seem keen to make it less fair and less equal.”

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Housing minister Kevin Stewart said protections were already in place. “No landlord could evict a tenant because they suffered financial hardship due to the coronavirus,” he said.

“We expect landlords to be flexible with tenants facing financial hardship and to signpost them to the sources of financial support that are available.

“A landlord facing financial difficulty due to a tenant being in arrears is able to access a loan from the Scottish Government where they have discussed rent issues with the tenant and made an agreement or managing arrears.”

A Green amendment to make the contraceptive pill free at pharmacies instead of only with a GP prescription was also defeated. The government said it was already being considered. However, the legislation was amended to scrap restrictions on freedom of information (FoI) requests.

The first emergency Coronavirus Bill extended the maximum time for a response to an FoI request to 60 working days.

But considering amendments to the new Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill, the committee rejected the Scottish Government’s attempts to change this to 40 days, with opposition members uniting in favour of returning to a 20-day time frame.

Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “To try to restore public confidence and trust it is important that we do have full transparency.”

An amendment by the Greens’ Ross Greer to raise the age at someone can receive a fixed penalty notice for flouting the coronavirus restrictions from 16 to 18 was also approved unanimously.

During the seven-hour-long session the committee also unanimously backed plans to allow the Scottish Government to intervene in the running of care homes with agreement from a sheriff.

Another amendment, put forward by Tory MSP Adam Tomkins to reaffirm that people can still get married during the outbreak with social distancing in place, was passed unanimously.

The Scottish Parliament will vote on the amended legislation today.