Paul McLennan has been appointed Scotland’s first housing minister as part of first minister Humza Yousaf’s new cabinet.
McLennan has a record of campaigning as an MSP to improve the quality of Scotland’s construction sector.
He has worked with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) during the last 12 months on various issues. These include skills shortages, residential retrofitting and the possibility of implementing a Scottish demolition levy to level the unequal playing field between new build and retrofit projects.
Jocelyne Fleming, policy and public affairs officer for Scotland at CIOB, said: “The appointment of a dedicated housing minister for Scotland is a very welcome announcement and demonstrates the intention for this area to be a key policy priority going forwards. We’re delighted the new first minister, Humza Yousaf, has taken this decision.
"The building of new homes and the improvement of Scotland’s existing housing stock has to be a priority for government to grow the economy, tackle the ongoing cost of living crisis and meet carbon reduction targets. It’s encouraging to see this being recognised. As the Scottish government has acknowledged, everyone should have a warm, safe, affordable and energy-efficient home that meets their needs.”
