§ Q3. Mr. CorbynTo ask the Prime Minister, when he next expects to meet representatives of London's homeless.
§ The Prime MinisterI have no plans to do so, but my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing meets representatives regularly.
§ Mr. CorbynIs it not about time the Prime Minister met representatives of London's homeless to learn that 40,000 families—about 100,000 people—spent Christmas in temporary accommodation, a 10 per cent. increase on a year ago, that there are 50,000 single homeless in London and more than 2,000 sleeping on the streets, a 10 per cent. increase on a year ago and a fivefold increase on five years ago? Is it not about time money was provided to local authorities to buy and build so that families can grow up in decent accommodation rather than suffering the indignity of bed and breakfast accommodation, and public resources were put where they are needed to provide decent homes for the people of this city rather than building empty office blocks for speculative gain?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman neglected to mention the number of empty houses either in his own local authority's stock or in that of many local authorities. Liverpool, Hackney, Burnley, Manchester, Salford and North Tyneside all have a very bad record on empty properties.
When my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing or I next meet representatives of the homeless we shall be able 765 to tell them that recent figures show a continuing decline in the number of families in bed and breakfast accommodation, nationally by 23 per cent. and by 30 per cent. in London and the south-east. I shall be able to remind them of the £750 million housing package announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the autumn statement. That will Further reduce the numbers in bed and breakfast. I might also remind them of the £100 million scheme for sleeping rough which has been amazingly successful.