To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that City of Edinburgh Council plans to move up to 700 residents living in unlicensed temporary accommodation this winter without suitable alternative accommodation being available. (S6O-03997)

Everyone has the right to a safe and suitable home. The Minister for Housing and I have twice met the leader and housing convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and we have pledged to work with the council on its plans to resolve the problem. Scottish Government officials are meeting daily with council officers and all options are urgently being explored to ensure that the affected residents are fully supported and, where necessary, safely rehoused.

The situation in Edinburgh shows the overwhelming need for an urgent, human rights-based response to the housing emergency by ministers and local authorities. There must be no dilution of the existing legal protections for people experiencing homelessness. Will the cabinet secretary work with the local authority, local stakeholders and any public bodies that may have suitable accommodation to find a pragmatic solution to ensure that no one ends up on the streets after 30 November?

The Minister for Housing and I were pleased to meet yesterday with Lorna Slater and representatives of charities working in Edinburgh to outline the urgent steps that we are taking, alongside the council, to find a solution. I said at that meeting, and am happy to confirm again today, that we are looking at all the options that the Scottish Government could undertake, and that we will do so in conjunction with stakeholders so that we can be assured that we are aware of the consequences of any proposed change and can base any proposed solutions on data and evidence. I make that commitment again today to Lorna Slater and to those who were at the meeting that we both attended yesterday.

I thank the cabinet secretary for her answers so far and for the collaborative approach that is being taken with the City of Edinburgh Council to address a worrying situation. The situation is partly a product of the housing emergency, which is most acute in the capital. Will the cabinet secretary set out what additional and specific support the Scottish Government is providing to the City of Edinburgh Council, and will she say what share of the £40 million housing acquisition fund is being allocated to Edinburgh?

The £40 million housing acquisition fund has, in the main, been targeted at the local authorities facing the greatest pressures. That means that Edinburgh will receive just over £14 million of that £40 million allocation, which it can use both for acquisitions and to bring void properties back into use. The issue of void properties is usually dealt with solely by councils, but the Government has stepped in to give further flexibility. That takes the total amount available for investment in affordable housing in Edinburgh to more than £49 million this year.