§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the average cost in the last 12 months of housing a homeless family in(a) bed and breakfast and hostel accommodation and (b) private leasing of unsold properties from property developers. [16096]
§ Ms Keeble[holding answer 19 November 2001]: Information reported to the Department by local authorities about expenditure on accommodation provided under homelessness legislation does not identify average unit costs. Available information derived from the report "Homelessness Statistics 1999–2000 Actuals", published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is as follows:
Average weekly charges per unit 1 £ England Wales Bed and breakfast 276.92 246.54 Hostels2 90.42 76.90 1 Based on gross charges before deduction of any rent rebate. The figures for bed and breakfast accommodation represent an average for the year 1999–2000, while those for hostels reflect charges in the last rent week of March 2000. 2 Includes any units in privately-owned hostels (e.g. owned by charities or voluntary organisations) used by local authorities to house homeless families. Average rental costs for properties leased from the private sector are not collected centrally.