What action is being taken to reduce the number of households and, in particular, households with children living in temporary accommodatio…

The Scottish Executive has legislated to end the routine use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for households with children through the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order (S.I. 2004/489) which came into force in December 2004. The legal requirement on local authorities is to use temporary accommodation which meets the standards of suitable accommodation as set out in the order.
Local authorities use different types of housing in order to provide temporary accommodation; such as furnished and unfurnished flats, hostels and bread and breakfasts, and they have set out in their homelessness strategies how they plan to reduce the use of b and b accommodation.
The Code of Guidance on Homelessness, which local authorities must have regard of, says that temporary accommodation should not be used unnecessarily and residents of temporary accommodation should be moved onto permanent accommodation as quickly as possible, whilst also ensuring that this is only done at a time when the household is able to sustain permanent accommodation.