Question reference: S6W-00254
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 26 May 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will remove all remaining exemptions to Unsuitable Accommodation Orders at the end of June 2021.
Answer
Legislation was laid on 27 May 2021 to extend the temporary exceptions of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order for a further three months until 30 September 2021.
Our priority is to keep people safe so we are extending these measures while the path of the pandemic remains uncertain, and we will keep the situation under review.
Our ambition is for all households to have a decent temporary home and to move into settled accommodation as quickly as possible. We will continue to work with councils to help them overcome any barriers as we shift to a new way of dealing with homelessness.
We are doing all we can to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are not housed in unsuitable accommodation for any longer than is necessary. However, it is crucial that we help local authorities to keep people safe during the pandemic.
We are extending these measures while the path of the pandemic remains uncertain, and will keep the situation under review. We will continue to work with councils to ensure they are supporting people from temporary accommodation into permanent settled accommodation.