§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has gathered regarding the percentage of homeless people who(a) have no home or family to go back to, (b) were forced to leave home by an adult member of the family, (c) left home after being abused by another member of the family and (d) could go safely back to their families; and what use he makes of this information in shaping his policies.
§ Mr. ChopeLocal authorities in England report the number of households for whom they accept responsibility to secure accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act in a summary quarterly return. They provide a breakdown of these by immediate reasons for homelessness. The categories covered include "Parents, relatives or friends no longer able or willing to accommodate"; more detailed information is not available centrally. My Department has commissioned a programme of research on homelessness and the findings were considered carefully, together with the regular statistics, as part of the recently completed review of homelessness legislation.
For information about Wales and Scotland, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland.