Chamber and committees

I am very pleased to be able to announce that the first meeting of the Task Force will take place on 25 August. Its remit will be: "To review the causes and nature of homelessness in Scotland; to examine current practice in dealing with cases of homelessness; and to make recommendations on how homelessness in Scotland can best be prevented and, where it does occur, tackled effectively."As Chair of the Task Force I look forward to working with the following people, all of whom have agreed to serve on the Task Force:Councillor Rita Miller, Convener of Community Services,South Ayrshire CouncilMr Mark Turley, Director of Housing Edinburgh City CouncilCouncillor Robert Aldridge, Director, Scottish Council for Single Homeless Ms Liz Nicolson, Director, Shelter ScotlandMs Margaret Taylor, Director, Glasgow Council for Single HomelessMr Mel Young, Director, The Big Issue in ScotlandMr David Orr, Director, Scottish Federation of Housing AssociationsMs Pat Bagot, Policy and Practice Manager, Scottish HomesMs Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Department of Urban Studies, Glasgow UniversityMr David Belfall, Head of Group, Development Department, Scottish Executive"