§ Mr. Nobleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what proposals each local authority has to provide accommodation for homeless single persons in the light of the new grant-aiding powers of the Housing Act 1974;
(2) what percentage of its total accommodation each local authority at present provides for single person heads of household; what percentage of these persons are, respectively, pensioners, single persons with children and non-pensioners without children; and how many houses or flats are provided in each case.
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§ Mr. ArmstrongMy Department collects a range of information about the accommodation provided in current building programmes, but not about the categories of tenant to whom each local authority allocates its accommodation or for whom it builds it. One-bedroom housing, and hostels, in current programmes are for meeting the needs of one- and two-person householders generally, not specifically those of single homeless people. The Housing Act 1974 increased the financial assistance available to housing associations and for hostels, and did so generally rather than by reference to specific categories.
DOE Circular 24/75 emphasised the importance of providing more units of accommodation for small households. A higher yardstick allowance for small dwellings has recently been introduced. New standards, and cost allowances, for purpose-provided accommodation for single people will be issued shortly.