§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for how many households local authorities accepted responsibility for securing permanent accommodation under the homeless provisions of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 in each year since 1979.
§ Mr. BaldryThe information for local authorities in England is as follows:
123W
Year Households accepted 1979 55,530 1980 60,400 1981 66,990 1982 71,620 1983 75,470 1984 80,500 1985 91,010 1986 100,490 1987 109,170 1988 113,770 1989 122,180 1990 140,350 1991 144,530 A new reporting system was introduced for non-metropolitan districts from the fourth quarter of 1980 and for the other authorities from the third quarter of 1982. As a result, figures for 1979 to 1982 are not strictly comparable with those for later periods.
From the second quarter of 1991 the definition of acceptances was altered to exclude intentionally homeless and all the figures have been adjusted to the new basis.