Home Owner and Debtor Protection Bill debate

MSPs agreed unanimously on 17 December 2009 to back the general principles of the Home Owner and Debtor Protection (Scotland) Bill at decision time.

The bill was at its first stage of parliamentary scrutiny.

Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil told MSPs during the debate that the bill contained measures to protect people struggling to deal with debt by increasing protection against repossession of their homes or bankruptcy.

He highlighted the estimated 48,000 repossessions in the UK in 2009 and called for the Financial Services Authority and the UK government to provide a breakdown of the Scottish figures.

The Communities Committee convener Duncan McNeil told the chamber the bill was one of two halves.

The first part of the bill, which deals with repossessions, was welcomed by the committee and its principles gained its backing.

However the second part of the bill, dealing with routes into bankruptcy, had raised concerns within the committee and Mr McNeil called for further consultation by the government, followed by the introduction of amendments at the next stage of parliamentary scrutiny.