HC Deb 31 October 1994 vol 248 cc978-9W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the elderly population lives in sheltered accommodation.

Mr. Robert B. Jones

There is no source of data providing a direct count of the numbers of elderly people in sheltered housing in England. The 1991 census does not separately identify households in this form of accommodation.

It is possible to produce an estimate that approximately 8 per cent. of the population aged 65 or over live in sheltered housing.

This estimate is derived from two sources: First, a study of the housing needs of elderly people commissioned by the Department from Ernst and Young management consultants included a survey of residents of sheltered housing which asked a question about household size. Combining this data with information also collected in the study on the numbers of units of sheltered housing for rent produces an estimate of 579,000 elderly people in this form of accommodation. Secondly, to this must be added 51,000 elderly people in private sector sheltered housing. This is calculated in the same way but uses data from local authority housing investment programme returns for 1 April 1993 on units of private sheltered housing.