Homelessness (Hansard, 19 July 1989)

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his policy on housing and homelessness in the light of the resolution of the Assembly of the Baptist Union of Great Britain passed in April on housing and homelessness, a copy of which has been sent to him.

§ Mr. Harry Greenway
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to make all local authorities follow the same criteria for the definition of homelessness; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Trippier
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is reviewing the homelessness legislation and hopes to announce conclusions soon.

§ Mr. Soley
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give figures for the first quarter of 1988 to the first quarter of 1989 and for five years and 10 years, previously, on a yearly basis, for(a) lettings to homeless households, (b) expenditure on homeless households, (c) numbers in bed and breakfast accommodation and other forms of temporary accommodation, (d) the level of homelessness identified, (e) the average cost per family per week in bed and breakfast, (f) the total number of children and total of under-fives in bed and breakfast and (g) the average length of stay in temporary accommodation for each local authority in England and Wales.

§ Mr. Trippier
[holding answer 11 July 1989]: The information requested is not yet available for 1988–89. The available information is listed hereafter.
Information on lettings to homeless households as reported by local authorities in England in their housing investment programme returns (HIPI) is available in the "HIP I All Items Print" for 1988 (columns E5b, E9b and E10b), for 1984 (columns D5a, D9b and D10a) and for 1979 (column J3b13).
Information on net expenditure on homeless households by local authorities in England and Wales is given in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy publication "Homelessness Statistics Actuals" for 1987–88 and 1983–84 (column 22) and for 1978–79 (column 20).
The number of households in temporary accommodation for each local authority in England and Wales at the end of 1988 is available in table 9 of edition No. 89 of "Local Housing Statistics". For the end of 1983 and 1978 the information is in table 12 of editions Nos. 70 and 52 respectively of the same publication.
Annual figures for the number of households accepted as homeless for each authority are also given in "Local Housing Statistics". The latest available are for 1987 (table 9(b) of edition no. 86). For 1983 the information is given in a table placed in the Library in answer to a question by the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright), on 15 May 1987. For 1978 the information is available only for half-years and is given in edition 52.
The latest information on homelessness (Q1 1989 figures) is available in table 7 of "Local authorities' action under the homeless provisions of the 1985 Housing Act: England. Results for the first quarter 1989. Supplementary Tables".
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Total expenditure by local authorities in England and Wales on bed and breakfast accommodation together with the number of household days placed in bed and breakfast as reported to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) are given in "Homelessness Statistics Actuals" for 1987–88 and 1983–84 (columns 14 and 17) and for 1978–79 (columns 12 and 15).
Information on the total number of children and under-fives in bed and breakfast accommodation and the average length of stay in temporary accommodation is not available centrally.
Copies of all the documents and publications referred to are in the Library. For further information about Welsh authorities I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.