HC Deb 19 November 2001 vol 375 cc48-9W
Chris Ruane

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which councils operate private leasing of unsold homes as a means of housing homeless families; and how many families are housed by each local authority in private leasing accommodation. [16097]

Ms Keeble

My Department seeks information about English local authorities' activities under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1996 on the quarterly P1 (E) housing returns. Data collected include the number of households being temporarily housed by the authority. These separately distinguish households in private sector accommodation that has been leased either by the local authority itself or by a registered social landlord, although the reason that the property became available for leasing is not collected.

Supplementary tables produced with the Department's quarterly Statistical Release on homelessness activity, present reported information on individual local authorities' use of various types of temporary accommodation, and of the numbers of households accommodated in them, on the last day of the quarter. The latest tables, published on 12 September 2001, cover the period to the end of June 2001. Copies are available in the Library of the House and are also on the DTLR website.

Chris Ruane

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many homeless people there were in each of the last 10 years. [16220]

Ms Keeble

The number of households accepted by local authorities in England under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts, as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, was as follows:

Year Number
1991–92 139,630
1992–93 136,230
1993–94 125,360
1994–95 116,850
1995–96 116,550
1996–97 110,810
1997–98 102,650
1998–99 104,150
1999–2000 106,130
2000–01 114,350

Source:

DETR P1(E) housing returns (quarterly)

National and some regional information on local authorities' activity is provided in a quarterly statistical release published by the Department. Copies are available in the Library, and also via the Department's website. The latest edition, published on 12 September, presents statistics up to the end of June 2001.