John Swinney brands Home Office 'root cause' of problem in Glasgow

The First Minister said the Scottish Government has been asking the UK Government to take action to ease the burden.

He was asked in the Scottish Parliament what action his government was taking to help the situation in Glasgow.

Swinney said: “The first thing that we have done is to press the Home Office to address those issues.

"The Home Office is the root cause of the issues and difficulties that Mr Harvie has raised in the Parliament today and we are working collaboratively with Glasgow City Council in that respect.”

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Harvie had asked: “I know that the First Minister is aware of the scale of the housing crisis in Glasgow, which has been exacerbated by the United Kingdom Government’s changes to asylum policy, changes that are harming the lives of asylum seekers and are also harmful to the budgets available for public services. “

Swinney said measures were in place to increase housing supply.

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He said: “Other steps that we have taken include increasing investment in housing and, in particular, ensuring that void accommodation is brought back into use.

“In our partnership with Glasgow City Council, we have seen much progress being made, and I commend it for the work that it is doing, including with registered social landlords, as part of that process.”

“As a consequence of the support that we make available to the council, particularly in relation to homelessness, we are working as effectively as we can to tackle the significant issues that Mr Harvie has raised.”