§ 2. Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the number of homeless people in (a) Wales and (b) Clwyd, South-West.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Gwilym Jones)In the quarter April to June 1992, 5,919 people were accepted as homeless by local councils in Wales. However, specific figures are not available for Clwyd, South-West.
§ Mr. Martyn JonesIn the light of the appalling situation shown up by the national figures, is the Minister aware of the proposals contained in a consultation paper issued by Tai Cymru which, if implemented, would take away the powers of Welsh rural housing associations to deal with rural homelessness, by giving the powers to urban bodies? There would be only 10 such bodies and they would be based in urban areas so it is likely that they would not be able to deal with rural homelessness.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the important work of Tai Cymru and the housing association movement in Wales. They have been an example of tremendous success and I want to see that going forward. The consultation process is ongoing. I and Tai Cymru are maintaining an open mind about exactly how it can be taken forward.