§ 37. Mr. HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on the housing needs of former members of the armed services. [66997]
§ Dr. MoonieThere has been no direct discussion on this issue between my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Defence and the Deputy Prime Minister. However, under the auspices of the Veterans Task Force, the Ministry of Defence continues to work in partnership with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, other Government Departments, Veterans' organisations and other non-Governmental organisations on ways to tackle problems of homelessness among the veterans' community. Recent examples of partnership initiatives in this area include the establishment of the Single Persons Accommodation Centre for the Ex-Services (SPACES) at Catterick, which is managed by the English Churches Housing Group, and enhanced co-operation between the charity "Shelter" and the Military Corrective and Training Centre in Colchester through the appointment of a Shelter Project Officer at the Centre. These initiatives were originally funded as pilot schemes by the Homelessness Directorate of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. In the light of their success, the MOD has assumed continuing funding responsibility from April 2002. In addition, the Homelessness Act places a new duty on local authorities to conduct a homelessness audit and prepare a strategy to prevent future homelessness. A new Order under the Act will be issued shortly to extend the groups of homeless people considered to be in priority need of housing. This will cover those who are vulnerable to homelessness as a result of their institutionalised background, including those who have served in the armed forces. I believe that these and other initiatives will provide significant additional help to those veterans likely to be the most vulnerable to homelessness.