§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 1 July 2002,Official Report, column 196W, on children in care, what figures his Department holds on the number of children that are (a) homeless, (b) in bed and breakfast accommodation and (c) in temporary accommodation. [171887]
§ Mr. McNultySummary information on activity under statutory homelessness provisions is reported to the Department by local authorities in England. This includes the number of households accepted under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts as being eligible for assistance. unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and the number of these households resident in various types of temporary accommodation, including bed and breakfast, at the end of each quarter.
Precise information on the total number of children is not collected, but from data reported we estimate there were some 112,500 children in households accepted as homeless during 2001–02. Available information indicates that on 31 March 2002 there were some 6,500 households living in bed and breakfast style accommodation, and the Bed & Breakfast Unit have estimated that this represents around 11,000 children. There were 40,700 households with dependent children in all forms of temporary accommodation provided by local authorities for the homeless, but no estimates for the number of children are available.