6. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle the reported record levels of homelessness in Scotland. (S6O-02701)

Homelessness levels are on the rise in all parts of the United Kingdom. I am meeting with housing conveners across the country to discuss the challenges in reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation and supporting councils in developing targeted plans to address local need.

The impact on local authorities of increasing homelessness presentations is being compounded by the United Kingdom Government’s decision to streamline the asylum process, placing increased pressure on housing and homelessness services. Recently, the Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees wrote to the UK Government to seek funding for local authorities in order to manage the unprecedented pressures created by fast-tracked asylum decisions. I hope that Jackie Baillie and her colleagues can support that request.

The Minister will know that, in the past year alone, some 39,000 homeless applications have been made, which is the highest number on record. The number of people being forced to sleep rough has doubled since last year and more than 6,000 children have been stuck in temporary accommodation for more than a year. Shelter Scotland statistics show that, on average, 45 children a day become homeless in Scotland. I am sure that the minister will agree that that is shameful. What action is he taking to urgently deliver support to people who are facing homelessness and, at its extreme, rough sleeping? Will he join Shelter and local authorities such as Argyll and Bute to declare the crisis a housing emergency?

We have undertaken a number of actions. In August, the First Minister and I visited Fife on the recommendation of the temporary accommodation task and finish group; we have launched the £60 million acquisitions fund; and I have spoken to local authorities about how allocation is implemented in their local areas.

Obviously, prevention duties will come forward in the forthcoming housing bill. I have also set up a ministerial oversight group, which includes nine ministers; it is looking at the overall subject of solving homelessness and, in that respect, issues such as drug abuse and looked-after children. That is incredibly important. Moreover, the question of how we bring empty homes back into operation was talked about at the housing summit in Edinburgh on Tuesday. We are looking at a number of things.

We spend £85 million a year on discretionary housing payments that we do not need to spend; we should be able to spend that money on homelessness. I urge Labour Party colleagues to support that approach, and I urge the UK Government to change that position.

The local housing allowance has been frozen for around four years—

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

Thank you, Minister. We need to move on to the next MSP.

Miles Briggs has a supplementary question.

This time last week, councillors from all five political parties on the City of Edinburgh Council, including the Minister’s party, declared Scotland’s capital city to be in a housing emergency and said that significant and urgent additional support was needed to meet the needs of Edinburgh’s people. Does the minister accept that Edinburgh is in a housing emergency? What emergency response will ministers give the City of Edinburgh Council?

It is a challenging situation. Mr Briggs and I were both at the Edinburgh housing summit, and I have met the City of Edinburgh Council at least half a dozen times since I took up my post seven months ago. We are looking at targeted interventions. We have talked about interventions that the council needs to make—on empty homes, for example—and there is also the issue of allocations, which it spoke to in our meeting.

We will work very closely with the council on what we need to do to try to support that. Indeed, we already work very closely with it; as I have said, I have met it at least half a dozen times since I have been in post.

The root cause of Scotland’s housing shortage is, of course, a lack of housing supply. What was the increase in housing supply across all tenures last year? What does the Scottish Government plan to increase that to?

Last year to end June, the number of all sector new builds in Scotland increased by 7 per cent—or 1,481—to 23,346 homes, the highest annual figure since 2008. We are committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which at least 70 per cent will be for social rent.

The recently published “Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan” supports our commitment to delivering at least 10 per cent of the target in rural and island communities. In fact, the 10,757 homes delivered to the end of June is the highest annual figure since the start of statistical figures in 2000.