Seòmar agus comataidhean

Shelter Scotland has called on the Government to declare a housing emergency. I have called on the Government to do that, too, particularly in Edinburgh. You have outlined the situation in Edinburgh, which is now unacceptable. Is that what we need the Government to do? Why has that not happened, given that we are talking about such numbers? On temporary accommodation, the options available to councils include, sometimes, the use of condemned buildings—former guesthouses that are not suitable for families to live in. Do you agree with that call from Shelter Scotland?

Well, under the old system, the communities that are facing those temperatures now would have received payments within two weeks. They will now receive one payment of £50 in February. It is quite clear that, with the data scan, they would be in a better place under the DWP’s current system, because they would get that payment today. The question that I wanted to ask was—

Good morning, minister and officials. I have to say that the issue that the convener has just raised is deeply concerning, because there seems to be no flexibility. From what we have heard, Scots living in some of the coldest communities in Scotland will lose out. Braemar recorded -15°C this week; today, as we speak, it is -2°C. Minister, do you accept that those rural communities are going to lose out and that the payments will not be in their bank account potentially until February? The DWP can pay within 14 days, which means that the money can be put out now, so why is there not the same flexibility here?

Perhaps you can liaise with the councils, then.

My questions follow on from Jeremy Balfour’s line of questioning. The minister is, I am sure, aware of Marie Curie’s campaign to get the Scottish Government to look at extending eligibility for the assistance to terminally ill people and to make sure that it also includes people under the age of 65. Where is the Scottish Government on that? Given what the minister has outlined to the committee about potential reforms and changes, is the Government of a mind to take that forward?

Thank you, minister. That would be very helpful. This week, I met Carolynne Hunter, of whom the minister will be aware. She very much highlighted the 5,000 families across Scotland who have seen their energy bills go up because of the equipment used at home for their children. I know that that is not directly related to this assistance, but I am quite keen to progress on that. I will look to do a cross-party round table on that next year. I am happy to take up the offer of that meeting with the minister, and, hopefully, those things can be discussed. Given energy costs, it is an important issue on which to try to look for a solution as well.

I take that point on board, minister, but it seems to be an argument about process rather than about the people who are living in these conditions. That is concerning.

It is reality.

We are talking about people living in the coldest communities in Scotland. Maybe there could have been more flexibility to take that into account now rather than in future years. The Scottish Government told SCOSS that it might take a few weeks in February to process the payments. Will the eligible recipients receive their payments before the end of February? Is that now guaranteed?

Just before I hand back to you, convener, I suggest that it might be important for the minister, once he leaves this meeting, to write to the communities, specifically with that information. People might not be aware of what is going on, so it would be useful, especially in the four postcode areas that we are talking about, to make sure that households are aware.