HC Deb 21 November 1995 vol 267 cc449-50
6. Mr. Gapes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the measures that he intends to introduce to reduce homelessness in London. [737]

Mr. Curry

Up to now, we have received 227 replies to our consultation on the future of the rough sleepers initiative and we shall outline our further proposals in the new year.

Mr. Gapes

How can proposing to change the obligations on local authorities to provide housing for the homeless in any way assist the poor and their children? How can cutting the funding for the Housing Corporation or putting further restrictions on what housing associations do assist the homeless? Is it not true, as the Rowntree Foundation's recent study reported, that all that does is simply rearrange the scope of homelessness while doing nothing to combat it?

Mr. Curry

If the hon. Gentleman follows these things, he will know that there has recently been a House of Lords ruling which states that there is no safety net for the homeless. The Government's legislation—we decided before the House of Lords ruling to invite the House to take the decision—will try to create a single route into housing with a philosophy and idea to which Shelter subscribes.

We intend to create an obligation to house people for a year, which will be renewable, so that for those in need, irrespective of whether the need arises from homelessness or other circumstances, we will look at the underlying basic problems and everybody will feel that their needs are being assessed on a fair basis. I have had detailed discussions with Shelter and other parties to explain how it would work. I believe that many people have been reassured, but I believe firmly that it is in the interest of all those in need that they should feel that their case is being dealt with fairly and on absolutely equal terms.

Mr. Harry Greenway

Does my hon. Friend agree that, as well as Shelter, the Salvation Army has done a good and effective job by taking homeless people into hostels, some of them on a temporary basis, and then finding permanent homes for them such as flats or other housing? Does my hon. Friend agree that that has reduced homelessness in London by a substantial margin?

Mr. Curry

I certainly pay tribute to organisations such as the Salvation Army and St. Mungo's. I was at a Drinks crisis centre in Bermondsey this morning. Such organisations do magnificent work helping the homeless. One must be cautious. For some who are in grave need— for example, those with drug, drink or mental illness problems and sometimes combinations of those problems—it is not sufficient just to provide accommodation. They cannot survive autonomously. They need continued sheltered accommodation and those organisations are particularly good at providing that, and we work in close co-operation with them.

Mr. Raynsford

Why will not the Minister recognise that the number of homeless households accepted in London, as in the rest of the country, is double the level accepted back in 1978–79 when Labour was last in power? Why does he intend to make what is already a disastrous situation far worse by his proposed changes to legislation on the homeless? Those changes have been condemned almost universally by all the organisations, including those that the Minister has quoted, which represent tenants, local authorities, housing associations and the Churches. They have all condemned the proposals as being disastrous for the homeless, causing them misery and an appalling degree of deprivation that we have not seen since the era of "Cathy Come Home".

Mr. Curry

I knew that the hon. Gentleman would end on that note. It is not the case. The people dealing with homelessness every day say that creating a single route into housing is the sensible thing to do. The argument then is how to deliver that; how to provide assessments of underlying needs so that people have all their needs taken care of; and how to ensure that, when housing allocations are made, the particular problems of the homeless are identified.

When the hon. Gentleman examines the Government's regulations and the guidance that will go with them, he will see that we are determined to ensure that those underlying needs are looked after and that nobody finds himself in a situation where he is permanently without permanent accommodation. We shall ensure that that does not happen.

Mr. Dunn

Does the Minister agree that homelessness in London would be significantly reduced if Labour-controlled local authorities managed their housing stock more efficiently and effectively, instead of allowing thousands of flats and houses to be empty for months and months?

Mr. Curry

My hon. Friend is right. It is important that local authorities get to grips with the basic tools of sensible management—collect rents, ensure that they have the minimum number of voids and bring empty property back into use. If those things are done, that will make a significant contribution to housing in this country.