Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Glasgow City Council and (b) the UK Government, regarding any impact of asylum policy decisions on the city's homelessness services.
Scottish Ministers and officials meet with Glasgow City Council counterparts on a regular basis to discuss the pressures on housing and homelessness services in the city. I have met councillors from Glasgow City Council on three occasions to discuss progress in response to the housing emergency, including, most recently, with Cllr Kelly, Cllr Casey and the Leader of the Council on 9 December. Glasgow City Council officers also provided the Housing to 2040 Board with an update at the 12 November meeting and the Minister for Equalities and I attended a roundtable hosted by the Scottish Refugee Council on 20 November to discuss refugee homelessness.
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice attended a Scottish Refugee Council roundtable on 7 April this year to discuss refugee homelessness in Glasgow alongside Glasgow City Council leaders and officials. The UK Government Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum was invited but did not attend and has not responded to our calls for engagement on these issues.
Scottish Ministers have been clear that there will not be a rolling back on the rights of any homeless household in Scotland. Instead we continue to call on the UK Government to provide adequate funding to local authorities to ensure they are able to provide support to meet the housing needs of newly recognised refugees. We have also made more resource and support available, including via our Housing Emergency Action Plan in September.