Remit of the inquiry

The Committee’s aims for the inquiry are:

• to identify the obstacles preventing people in different parts of rural Scotland from gaining access to appropriate and affordable housing to rent or buy;
• to assess the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for overcoming those obstacles; and
• to identify further initiatives that could be undertaken, at local or national level, either in place of or in addition to those existing mechanisms.

For further details please see the Committee's aims and themes for the inquiry as well as questions for written evidence and witnesses.

Stakeholder seminar

A seminar took place at the Macdonald Highland Resort in Aviemore on Monday 10 December 2007. This involved around 50 invited stakeholders, including members of the Housing Supply Task Force recently established by the Scottish Government. The Committee considered the outcomes of the seminar at its meeing on on 9 January 2008. Notes from the seminar can be found here.

Written evidence

The Committee has written to all Scottish local authorities (other than the four city councils) to request factual information on housing in their areas. Please click here for futher details and copies of all responses.

The deadline for all other written evidence has now passed. Follow this link to read the written evidence received.

Oral evidence

The Committee is currently taking oral evidence on the inquiry.

Further information

If you wish to discuss any aspect of the inquiry, please contact the Senior Assistant Clerk to the Committee, Roz Wheeler, on 0131 348 5221 or at rosalind.wheeler@scottish.parliament.uk