§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of his plans to house care leavers and orphans between the ages 16 and 17 years; and by what amount these proposals will reduce the number of rough sleepers.[110955]
§ Mr. RaynsfordWe have no plans to assist care leavers or orphans between the ages of 16 to 17 with housing unless they are homeless and vulnerable. Local authorities already have a duty to accommodate homeless young people whom they consider to be vulnerable, and therefore in priority need, under the provisions of the Housing Act 1996. We recognise that young people who are leaving care may face particular difficulties in making the transition to independent living, as a consequence of institutionalisation and perhaps having limited back-up support. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' revised draft Code of Guidance on the Allocation of Accommodation and Homelessness, due to be published later this year, will therefore recommend that local authorities treat young care leavers, and 16 and 17-year-olds with little or no back-up support, as being vulnerable under the homelessness legislation. This926W clarifies existing local authority duties in order to ensure a greater consistency of approach. As such, it should require no additional cost to public funds. Our Housing Green Paper, also due to be published later this year, will include further measures to improve the protection for unintentionally homeless people.
The Government have set up the Rough Sleepers Unit, with a budget of almost £200 million, to reduce rough sleeping in England by at least two thirds by 2002. A commitment to focusing on the most vulnerable people on the streets is at the heart of the Unit's approach, and young rough sleepers are among the most vulnerable of all. The revised guidance on housing allocation is one of the ways in which we will prevent future rough sleeping among vulnerable young people. This will complement the provisions of the Children (Leaving Care) Bill, and the "Quality Protects" programme, which makes available £375 million to local authorities over three years to increase the support offered to care leavers.