HC Deb 23 March 1993 vol 221 cc568-9W
Mr. Hendry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities have not provided details of the numbers of homeless families for inclusion in the most recent statistics on homelessness published by his Department this week; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Baldry

Information on the number of households for whom local authorities accept responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act is reported in part E of the quarterly P1 return.

The statistics for the fourth quarter of 1992, published on 15 March 1993, were based on responses from 94 per cent. of English local authorities and included estimates for others which had not provided full information.

London
  • Islington
  • Newham
  • Redbridge
  • Wandsworth
Metropolitan districts
  • Leeds
  • South Tyneside
Non-metropolitan districts
  • Allerdale
  • Blyth Valley
  • Bolsover
  • Cambridge
  • Cannock Chase
  • Castle Morpeth
  • Craven
  • East Hertfordshire
  • Macclesfield
  • Nottingham
    • 569
  • South Oxfordshire
  • The Wrekin
  • Torbay
  • Tynedale
  • Waverley
  • West Devon

Of the local authorities listed, Wandsworth and Redbridge did provide details of households in temporary accommondation. Late returns have since been received from Allerdale, Cambridge, East Hertfordshire, Torbay and West Devon.

I welcome this opportunity to thank authorities for their improved response to the homelessness return over the last year. I particularly commend the inner London boroughs which have made the effort to send more timely returns, despite the large volume of applications they have to deal with.

I hope that this improved response will be maintained and that other authorities will be able to provide their returns more promptly in future so that we can more accurately monitor the number of households who have to seek priority rehousing from local authorities. This is particularly important at a time when we will be watching to see whether the downward trend in homeless acceptances which emerged in 1992 is maintained in 1993.