§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homeless families are currently living in bed-and-breakfast accommodation for each housing authority together with the average cost per week per family for each housing authority area.
§ Mr. BaldryInformation on homeless households who were being dealt with under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985 and who were placed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation can be found in "Local authorities' action under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act. England. Results for the third quarter of 1992. Supplementary Table", a copy of which is in the Library.
Annual costs for bed-and-breakfast accommodation used, together with the related numbers of household days provided, for authorities which provided the information to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), are published by CIPFA in its "Homelessness Statistics 1990–91 Actuals", a copy of which is also in the Library.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the change in the number of families housed by local authority housing departments in bed-and-breakfast accommodation over the next 12 months.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Department does not make such estimates.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to reduce the number of families in bed-and-breakfast accommodation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Government encourage local authorities to seek alternatives to bed-and-breakfast hotels wherever possible when they place homeless families in temporary accommodation. At 30 September 1992 the use of bed-and-breakfast accommodation in England was 23 per cent. lower than a year earlier. New concessions on the arrangements for financing short-term leasing announced by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning on 21 December will extend the stock of temporary accommodation available for housing homeless families.