The statistics come from part of a parliamentary response to Scottish Conservative housing spokesman Miles Briggs who urged the Scottish Government to build more social housing to prevent families spending years in “grossly insecure” and poor quality accommodation.

More than 900 waited at least two years for a permanent home, while more than 5,000 waited more than a year.

Mr Briggs said: “These figures are absolutely tragic and illustrate the social housing crisis that has occurred under the SNP Government’s mismanagement.”

He added: “Despite having 14 years to act, the SNP have slammed the doors in the faces of thousands of families who are pleading for permanent accommodation – it’s a national disgrace.”

The Scottish Government acknowledged the gravity of the situation and said it was urgently contacting local councils on the issue of temporary accommodation.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “These are concerning statistics. Temporary accommodation can offer an important emergency safety net for anyone who finds themselves homeless, but we recognise that it should be a purely temporary measure, particularly for families with children.

“We have contacted local authorities to better understand what support might be required to address this issue as a matter of urgency.”

The spokeswoman added: “Local authorities share our ambition to ensure stays in temporary accommodation are short-term, and we will be working with them to achieve this ambition.

“For some councils it can take a long time to acquire an appropriate property of the correct size and type for the household’s particular needs, with the required facilities.

“This can be exacerbated by limited turnover or stock availability, changes to a household’s circumstances, or instances where families need to access other services such as health, justice or social work.

“We are investing £37.5 million to support councils to prioritise settled accommodation for all as part of our vision for a Scotland where everyone has a warm, safe and affordable home. We also have a target of delivering 100,000 more affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70 per cent for social rent.”