§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the total number of registered homeless people in the Portsmouth City Council area; [27547]
(2) how many people have been accepted on to the homeless register of Portsmouth City Council in each of the last five years. [27548]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe table provides the available data on the numbers of households accepted as homeless and in priority need under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts in Portsmouth for the calendar years 1992 to 1996 and the first 9 months of 1997.
Year Homelessness acceptances 1992 647 1993 408 1994 377 1995 368 1996 494 19971 314 1 data for the first 3 quarters only Under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996 authorities must establish and maintain a housing register for the purpose of allocating their housing accommodation but there is no statutory obligation for local housing authorities to hold a register of homeless applicants. Accommodation secured as a discharge of a homelessness duty need not be a tenancy allocated under Part VI of the 1996 Act.