§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent surveys have been undertaken by his Department as to the extent of homelessness among young, single people, in the Greater London area; and if he will make a statement. [29993]
§ Mr. ClappisonIn November 1990, my Department commissioned a survey to collect comprehensive and up to date information about single homeless people in England. The results, based on interviews and field work in 10 local authority areas in England, including five London boroughs were published by HMSO in 1993 in the report, "Single Homeless People", ISBN 0 11 752800 5. This provided information on the characteristics of single homeless people, the reasons why they were homeless and their accommodation needs and preferences.
161WMonitoring arrangements for the Government's rough sleepers initiative include counts of people sleeping rough, undertaken twice a year by voluntary sector agencies. The latest count, in November 1995, found 270 people sleeping rough in central London—down from estimates of over 1,000 in 1990 before the initiative began. Of the 270 people found, only three were recorded as being under 18 years of age.
In October 1995, my Department issued a consultation paper, "Rough Sleepers Initiative, Future Plans", which invited all local authorities in England to assess the extent of rough sleeping in their areas. On the basis of responses to this consultation exercise, we have proposed further evaluation of the extent of rough sleeping in the London boroughs of Barnet, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond upon Thames, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest and 16 areas outside London. I expect the information from this further evaluation to be available in September.