The Scottish government is pressing ahead with plans to introduce a building safety levy.
In line with legislation that will be introduced for England and Wales, developers will have to pay towards the cost of remediating dangerous buildings.
The legislation was among the bills included in the government programme announced yesterday (4 September) by first minister John Swinney.
Proposals for the levy were announced in April but could not be introduced in the Scottish Parliament until Westminster had passed a law to devolve the necessary powers to raise the tax.
Scotland’s housing minister Paul McLennan revealed he had met with ministers in England ahead of the Grenfell Inquiry report publication and been given clearance to press ahead.
He said: “Scotland already has stringent safety regulations to keep people safe, but we are not complacent. Where immediate action is needed to safeguard people we will ensure appropriate actions are taken to manage risks, pending longer-term remediation works.
“The levy will provide vital revenues to support the funding of our cladding remediation programme.”
The Scottish government also announced new legislation to meet net-zero targets by banning some types of oil and gas heating systems.
The government wants the legislation to drive a switch to heat pumps and heat networks.
The official statement said: “It will include provisions to prohibit the use of certain direct emission heating systems after 2045 and to require certain properties to meet a minimum standard of energy efficiency.
“The bill will give ministers powers to make regulations specifying how these measures are to be implemented, including powers to ensure that the requirements on building owners are fair and proportionate.”
