§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the total number of households accepted as homeless by local authorities in 1979 and in the latest year available;
(2) what estimate he has for the number of people homeless in England other than those accepted as such by local authorities for the purposes of the Homeless Persons Act 1977 in 1979 and for the latest year available.
§ Mr. Trippier[holding answer 22 December 1988]: The estimated numbers of households for whom English local authorities accepted responsibility to secure accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act were 57,200 in 1979 and 112,400 in 1987. However, because of changes in the reporting system in 1980 and 1982, the figure for 1979 is not strictly comparable with those for later years.
In addition authorities reported 56,000 homeless households in 1987 to whom they gave advice and assistance but for whom they did not accept responsibility for securing accommodation. Comparable estimates are not available for 1979.