What role it believes that the private rented sector can play in the provision of affordable housing in rural areas and how it supports suc…

The private rented sectorplays a vital role in the provision of housing in rural areas, accounting forabout 11% of all rural households.
The Scottish Governmentprovides support for the private rented sector in rural areas through rural emptyproperties grants to help increase the supply of affordable housing by makinggrants to landlords for improvements to empty properties, which are then rentedto local tenants at affordable rents. We have also provided funding to the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association (SRPBA) to help the SRPBAprovide support to private landlords.
More generally, the HousingSupply Task Force has been charged with tackling the obstacles, such as landsupply and planning issues, which have been hampering the delivery of morehousing of all types. One of its early priorities is to examine the barriers toadequate housing provision in rural areas.