7. To ask the First Minister for what reason the Scottish Government is delaying the ban on placing homeless households in unsuitable accommodation, which it announced in May 2020. (S5F-04365)

We remain very committed to extending the unsuitable accommodation order to all homeless households in the current parliamentary session, which in effect will end the use of bed and breakfasts as temporary accommodation, other than in emergency situations.

Temporary exemptions were created in May, which allowed for placements in hotels and B and Bs where needed. That has effectively kept people off the streets and in safe and secure accommodation during the pandemic. We are extending those exemptions until the end of January, given the on-going challenges that we still face. We recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as a result of the pandemic and that supplies of suitable temporary accommodation have been limited due to restrictions on the turnover of void properties as a result of lockdown. The decision was reached with the support of councils, which remain focused on ensuring that people have somewhere safe and warm to live.

I am sure that the First Minister will agree that people who are experiencing homelessness are in a state of crisis and that that is compounded when they are in unsuitable accommodation, such as hostels or bed and breakfasts. Research shows the effect on people’s physical and mental health. The situation affects their sense of safety and their ability to maintain a normal life, including cooking for themselves and accessing laundry facilities, which makes life very difficult. We whole-heartedly welcomed the decision to extend the seven-day restriction on time spent in unsuitable accommodation to all people to ensure that all homeless people are treated equally.

I accept what the First Minister says about the challenges in today’s world, but I would like a guarantee—or as firm a commitment as she can give—that that will be done as soon as practically possible after January, and that the timetable will not slip unless there is a good reason for that.

The First Minister:

I have already said that we are very committed to doing that within the current parliamentary session. Given the current circumstances, it would not be responsible of me to say that without any caveat. I agree 100 per cent with Pauline McNeill that, in normal times, permanent settled accommodation is always better than B and B and temporary accommodation. In the pandemic situation, because of some of the wider factors that we have had to deal with, access to B and B and temporary accommodation has often been the difference between someone being in accommodation and their being on the streets and not safe. We have to look at that relative to the current circumstances.

I hope that, by January, we will be in a better position. The commitment is there and it is strong but, in the current situation, we have to be aware of the uncertainties and recognise that the most important thing is to ensure that people are not on the streets during a pandemic. If, in these unique circumstances, that means that people are in B and B or temporary accommodation, that is better than their being on the streets. In normal times, settled accommodation is always the best, and that is what we continue to aim for.

The Presiding Officer:

We move to supplementary questions.