Local Government and Communities Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Official Report 563KB pdf

Subordinate Legislation

Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Amendment (No 2) Order 2020 (SSI 2020/139)

Item 5 is consideration of a negative instrument as listed on the agenda. I refer members to paper number 4. The instrument is laid under the negative procedure, which means that its provisions will come into force unless the Parliament agrees to a motion to annul it. No motions to annul have been laid.

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the instrument on 22 December 2020 and determined that it did not need to draw the attention of the Parliament to the instrument on any grounds within its remit.

Do members have any comments on the instrument?

Would it be possible for us to write to the Scottish Government to ask for an update on progress on the issue? I will not speak against the instrument today, but constituents have raised with me concerns about the issue, including about people having to leave their temporary accommodation, such as hotel accommodation, during the day because it is to be cleaned. People are very worried about that because it pushes homeless people back out on to the streets, particularly in these difficult winter months when the cold will not help their health.

It would also be good to know how many people who have been in temporary accommodation during the past few months have been able to move into permanent housing. We are in exceptional circumstances. The report about the work being done by local authority working group, which is working with the Scottish Government to look at improvements to the drafting of the initial order, is really good, but I am keen to see an update on what is happening with homelessness. Locally, I have heard that things are mixed. The council is spending a lot of money to look after people in temporary and hotel accommodation. I would like to see what happens next, given the fact that the pandemic is clearly going to be with us for some months yet.

I do not see there being any problem with sending such a letter; it sounds like a sensible thing to do.

As there are no further comments, I invite the committee to agree that it does not wish to make any further recommendations in relation to the instrument.

That is agreed.

That concludes the public part of this meeting.