Second Coronavirus Bill passes Holyrood final stage
MSPs have unanimously supported further emergency measures in response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, by passing the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No 2) Bill following the stage 3 debate.
Among other measures, the bill gives powers to Scottish ministers to temporarily intervene and manage care home services where there is a serious risk to the life, health or wellbeing of any person in that home for any reason connected with COVID-19; includes an additional £19.2m investment in the carer’s allowance supplement; introduces notice to leave periods through which students can quit purpose-built student accommodation; brings in additional protections for those facing bankruptcy; and allows people who have paid additional land and buildings transaction tax on buying a new house before they have sold their old one, extra time to complete the sale and reclaim the tax supplement.
During the debate, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart also confirmed an additional £5m to be made available to local authorities through discretionary housing payments, to support tenants who are now under severe financial pressures. However the Government refused to support amendments that would have frozen rents in the private sector for the next two years.
Other amendments were passed to widen the scope of the reporting requirements to COVID-19 related regulations made under other legislation; to cancel bankruptcy application fees for those on certain benefits; and (against the Government's wishes) to allow local newspapers to benefit from relief from non-domestic rates, and to extend local councils' powers to introduce temporary cycle lanes and footpaths.
There are also legislative changes in areas including non-domestic rates relief, proceeds of crime and the wider operation of Scotland’s criminal justice system.
The bill ensures that COVID-19 grant funding goes to those companies that pay their fair share of tax by excluding those who seek to minimise their tax arrangements to the detriment of the wider economy.
Ministers agreed to work on a scheme to to benefit businesses that pay rates indirectly through rent or other charges and who therefore do not benefit from the scheme for relief already introduced.
Constitution Secretary Michael Russell said: “This legislation provides time-limited measures that will further strengthen our ability to prioritise work tackling the coronavirus pandemic, and support those in Scotland facing real hardship as a result.
“Whether it is taking action to safeguard the population’s health such as the measures relating to care homes, helping people in debt or students with accommodation costs, we will continue to do all we can to help Scotland get through this most testing of times.
“In a spirit of cooperation and consensus we have worked across parliament and with all parties as much as possible as we take these important steps to tackle the impact of this ongoing crisis.”