§ Mr. CasaleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what response he has received to the proposals for changing the homelessness legislation contained in the consultation paper that he issued on 23 May; and if he will make a statement. [5941]
§ Ms ArmstrongThere have been about 200 responses to the consultation paper, the overwhelming majority of which unreservedly welcomed our proposals. I am today laying draft regulations that would add households owed a main homelessness duty to the groups of people to whom local authorities are required to give reasonable preference in their housing allocation schemes.
This is the first step in our plans to rebuild a proper safety net for families and vulnerable individuals who lose their homes through no fault of their own. It means that, in allocating housing, local authorities will be taking into account the experience of homelessness alongside other indicators of housing and social need.
While it is for each local authority to balance the priority for different groups of housing applicants, this measure gives authorities the potential for moving households accepted as homeless into permanent accommodation more quickly.