Dr Elliot said the question of B&Bs was a matter of decency

Charity Shelter and the Church of Scotland have called on new Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm to make the target his highest priority.

Shelter said children can suffer profound effects from living in B&Bs.

A Scottish Executive spokesman said it planned to bring in measures to tackle the issue by Christmas.

Mr Chisholm took over the communities portfolio from Margaret Curran in the executive's cabinet reshuffle earlier this week.

No child in 21st Century Scotland should suffer the indignity of living in B&B accommodation Liz Nicholson Shelter Scotland

Shelter Scotland said more than a million children in the UK were suffering in bad housing and that the clock was ticking to meet the executive's deadline, set by Ms Curran, to end the use of B&Bs for homeless children by Christmas 2004.

It said regulations to ban the use of B&Bs for families were still not in place and that children in B&Bs were twice as likely to be admitted to A&E with burns and scalds because of the conditions they live in.

The charity's director, Liz Nicholson, said: "No child in 21st Century Scotland should suffer the indignity of living in B&B accommodation.

"Even in an emergency, seven days is the longest any child should be forced to live in these conditions - anything longer will be a loophole that effectively means B&Bs are not banned at all.

Shelter warned of adverse effects of B&Bs on children

"The minister can really make his mark by backing the pledge made by his predecessor."

The charity claims that the number of children living in B&Bs increased by 26% between 31 March, 2003 and 13 March, 2004, from 185 to 234.

Dr Alison Elliott, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: "A home isn't just for Christmas but it's at Christmas that the plight of homeless children makes a special impact on our sense of decency.

"I hope that the minister will make good his predecessor's pledge not to use B&Bs to house children at Christmas or any other time of the year."

An executive spokesman said: "The Scottish Executive remains committed to ending the inappropriate use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for families.

"We have recently finished a public consultation on this issue, and plan to lay the necessary parliamentary orders in good time for them to be in force by Christmas."

Orders are required to be laid in parliament for 21 days before they can be brought into force.