§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2002,Official Report, column 93W, 924W ref. 38443, what criteria are used to determine (a) unacceptable numbers of applicants accepted as homeless and (b) numbers accommodated under the legislative provisions by a local authority. [41430]
§ Ms KeebleThere are no criteria for determining that the level of applicants accepted as statutorily homeless is unacceptable. A range of information about local housing authorities' activities under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985 and the Housing Act 1996 is submitted quarterly by authorities to the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. A summary of this is published by the Department in a quarterly statistical release. The data published include the number of households being accommodated in temporary accommodation, pursuant to a duty under the homelessness provisions, at the end of the relevant quarterly period.
§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2002,Official Report, column 93W, ref. 38444, if he will publish the guidance used to determine the trigger point at which he should intervene to secure an authority's compliance with its statutory duty to house the homeless. [41431]
§ Ms KeebleWe have agreed a protocol with the Local Government Association that sets out the key principles and procedures for the use of the best value intervention powers. The protocol has been published as Annexe D of the Department's Circular 10/99. Copies of the circular have been placed in the Libraries of the House.