Just four homes have been approved so far across Scotland under a flagship SNP scheme aimed at boosting the number of rural NHS staff and police officers.
Humza Yousaf promised his government would buy up empty properties to make it easier for key workers to relocate to more remote areas during his leadership campaign last year.
Up to £25 million was set aside to be spent over five years as part of the programme.
But the Scottish Government has now confirmed only four homes – all located in Orkney – have been repurposed so far.
New First Minister John Swinney listed fixing the rural housing crisis in his own Perthshire constituency as one of his key priorities earlier this week now he’s in power.
‘Intense pressure’
In an exclusive interview, the SNP leader said there was “intense pressure” in the Breadalbane area of the region.
He told us: “I want to make sure we make further progress on housing issues, because housing is such a fundamental human right for individuals.
A Perth and Kinross councillor described the current situation as “dire”.
In January, a top doctor said patients in less populated parts of Scotland faced a growing “disparity” in accessing healthcare.
Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of the British Medical Association in Scotland, says a “big rural problem” exists in terms of recruiting staff.
He said there were “huge vacancies” in health boards.
In February, it was warned a new charge being imposed on police housing risked driving officers out of rural areas.
SNP housing minister Paul McLellan said the government was “engaging closely” with local councils to earmark more houses.
But Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Liz Smith warned the current situation was “unacceptable”.
She asked: “In light of the collapse of the Bute House Agreement, will the needs of our rural communities finally become a priority?”
Mr McLellan insisted the needs of rural communities remained a “priority”.
He added: “We have made a number of interventions with local authorities to ask them to ensure that they are working strategically with key partners to deliver the demand-led service.”
Last year, we reported that SNP promises to spend £30 million from separate funds to tackle the rural housing crisis were still well behind schedule.