§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his Department's responsibilities in the matter of problems arising from squatters; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungPolicy on squatting is primarily the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary. This Department does, however, have an interest in the problems arising from squatting in both residential and commercial property, in particular the implications for housing stock management and the effects on private property owners.
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§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to designate squatters as being statutory homeless.
§ Sir George YoungUnder the present homelessness legislation—part HI of the Housing Act 1985—squatters could be accepted as statutorily homeless if, on application to the appropriate local authority, the authority was satisfied that they were homeless, had become homeless unintentionally, and had a priority need for accommodation, as specified in the Act.
As I said in an earlier reply to the hon. Member for Greenwich (Mr. Raynsford)—Official Report, 21 October 1993, column 281—the Government propose to reform the homelessness legislation. We intend that the new legislation should continue to provide that suitable accommodation is available for vulnerable people who are genuinely homeless through no fault of their own. We will announce our proposals shortly.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has held with local authorities during the last 12 months about the occupation of council housing stock by squatters; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungMy Department discusses housing management issues regularly with the local authority associations. These have not focussed specifically on squatting, but the associations responded to my right hon. and learned Friend's consultation paper on the proposals in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill.