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Thanks for that. My other question is about the support that you are getting from the Scottish Government, or that you would hope to get from the Scottish Government. I will start with Derek McGowan this time. How does Edinburgh see that? What support have you had? What do you need to help you further? Cash and resources might be the obvious thing, but what other types of support does Edinburgh need to tackle the problem?

Thanks very much, convener. One of the issues that I faced for many years as a local councillor was the inability to do an automatic mutual exchange, or to use the advanced software that I know that you now have, when people were looking for a house. Have we made any progress on that?

I was struck by what Stephen said a wee minute ago, that out of 15,000 people who are on a waiting list, 5,000 are homeless, which means that 10,000 folk are sitting in a house who want a different one. Is there a feature in your software systems that allows people to identify potential mutual exchanges for themselves rather expect the officers of the council to do that trawling and searching for them?

What are the tools that are at everyone’s disposal? Is it to build more new housing? Is it to make better use of the stock that we have, whether that is voids and re-lets and so on, or acquisitions? What is your sense of the flavour of the particular tools that we should be deploying? You might say that we should deploy all those tools, but which are the most effective in trying to tackle the issue?

Thank you. Edward Thomas, have you found that trying to tackle the voids has helped, additionally, to reduce the emergency situation that everybody is talking about? Has that given a new impetus to looking at the void picture? Could you share your experience in Moray?

Thanks, and good morning.

I will focus a wee bit more on the responses of authorities that have declared a housing emergency. First, what are your views on what makes for an emergency in 12 local authorities, but does not make for an emergency in the other 20? I am curious as to why some local authorities have declared a housing emergency and many others have not. Is it that homelessness figures have reached a trigger point, or is it the amount of void stock in any particular authority? Our council colleagues are sitting in the public gallery behind you and we will hear their views when they join the second panel of witnesses. What do you think it is that constitutes an emergency for some, but not others? Professor Gibb, would you like to open the responses to that question?

Professor Hilber or Chris Birt, do you have any views on what makes an emergency in one authority that does not make an emergency in another?

Thanks for that. Chris, are there any other messages to share with the committee and some new ideas that could be brought to the table about how we can make improvements?

Thank you. Could the other Chris throw a few ideas into the mix?

Thank you very much to all three witnesses for responding to those questions.

Yes.