§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has assessed of the number of(a) homeless people and (b) prisoners who are former members of the armed forces. [85665]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions does not routinely collect information on the number of homeless people who are former members of the armed forces. However, research on single homeless people and rough sleepers commissioned by the Department provides some information on the proportion of these groups which have a service background.Single Homeless People (HMSO, 1993) found that a fifth of a sample of single homeless people living in hostels or bed and breakfast hotels had been in the armed forces or merchant navy (not counting national service or the territorials). From Street to Home: An Evaluation of Phase 2 of the Rough Sleepers Initiative (TSO, 1996) found that a quarter of rough sleepers had been in the armed forces or merchant navy.
As part of the Social Exclusion Unit review of Rough Sleeping (Cm 4008) the Department reviewed key research on rough sleeping. The review covered a number of studies dealing with rough sleepers with service backgrounds, including the two DETR studies described above, plus research commissioned by voluntary sector organisations including Falling Out: a research study of 227W homeless ex-service people, Randall & Brown (Crisis, 1994), and Homeless on Civvy Street, Gunner and Knott (Ex-Service Action Group, 1997). All these studies show that between a quarter and a fifth of rough sleepers have been in the armed forces at some stage.
As for data on prisoners, the information requested is not available. No information regarding an individual's professional status, prior to reception into a Prison Service establishment, is recorded centrally.