THE Scottish Parliament has agreed to treat the Rent Freeze Bill as emergency legislation despite Tory MSPs' efforts.
Ahead of a debate on the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill in Holyrood on Tuesday afternoon, MSPs were asked to vote on whether or not to treat the legislation as urgent to allow it to be scrutinised faster.
However, Tory MSP Miles Briggs tried twice to intervene and push the legislation into the long grass.
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First arguing that the party didn't agree with the suspension of standing orders to allow the legislation to be debated, Briggs also claimed the Government hadn't consulted with the rental sector.
In a later intervention, Briggs tried to question if the bill was within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament but was shut down by the Presiding Officer who confirmed that she had ruled that it was.
The motion passed with 86 votes for yes and 28 for no, with no abstentions.
Moving the motion in Holyrood, Minister for Parliamentary Business George Adam said that the bill should be treated as urgent to "ensure that important protections are in place for people who rent their home".
Briggs, contesting the motion, said that the Tories did not support the suspension of standing orders to allow the Scottish Government to "force" through the bill. He said that there had not been enough time ahead of the debate for MSPs to scrutinise the Government's plans, as they were only revealed on Monday night.
He said: "Scottish housing market is complex and unintended consequences are going to be clear from this bill.
"So the decision by SNP-Green ministers has been made without any consultation with the sector representative bodies, and it has resulted in much frantic activity since the announcement was made by the First Minister to assess the negative impacts this bill will clearly have."
Adam replied that the government "can't win" in the scenario painted by the Tories, after one Tory MSP last week reportedly claimed the legislation had been shared with the sector ahead of time.
He added: "Obviously, we're not actually talking to anyone whatsoever regards it, you know, you can't have it both ways basically.
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"I find it quite strange that they would actually use that tact because, call me a cynic presiding officer, but I do not believe they believe in the legislation to start with and I think that is the fundamental difference between us."
When Adam tried to go on to discuss the impact of rising rents, particularly those on lower incomes, Briggs tried to intervene.
He fired back: "No, I think you should listen about people on lower incomes."
Briggs then raised a point of order, asking the presiding officer to confirm that the legislation is ECHR compliant and if amid rumours the bill will face a legal challenge had the Scottish Government informed Parliament that it would be competent to withstand such a challenge.
Alison Johnstone replied: "Thank you, Mr Briggs. I can confirm that I have published my statement to the effect that the bill is within the legislative competence of this Parliament."
Speaking after the debate, Scottish Greens housing spokesperson Ariane Burgess said: “It is disappointing, although sadly not surprising, that Tory MSPs would seek to undermine urgent legislation being put forward to help those hardest hit by the cost crisis.
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“The Scottish Greens and Scottish Government colleagues are putting forward fair and vital protections that would see a freeze on unwarranted rent increases and introduce much stricter controls over evictions that would be among the most progressive in Europe.
“But the Tories, who are after all the architects of this cost of living crisis, are out of touch if they think it is right to prevent those becoming law.
“We would call on all MSPs to do the right thing and support this legislation.”
MSPs are set to debate the emergency legislation on Tuesday afternoon following the motion passing.
How has the housing crisis affected you?
Are you struggling to buy your first home? Are you paying extortionate rent? Has your landlord hiked it amid a cost of living crisis? Scotland is going through a housing crisis. House prices continue to spiral and experts struggle to see an end in sight. If you have been affected by the housing situation in Scotland, The National wants to hear your story. We want to explain Scotland's housing crisis through the eyes of those experiencing it first-hand.
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