Meeting of the Parliament 22 January 2026 [Draft]
I absolutely echo the importance of occupational health as part of determining somebody’s needs and advocating for them. As MSPs, we all know how often that issue crosses our desks, and I am equally conscious of that in my role as Cabinet Secretary for Housing.
On the question about joined-up support, as we consider how the ask and act duties will be implemented, the work of occupational therapists and others will be critical. They are one of the cornerstone touch points at which people come into contact with our systems, and the ask and act duties are about understanding the contacts that are made with people and using them better to recognise housing precarity and the risk of homelessness, so that we act as early as possible to avoid it.