HC Deb 07 November 2002 vol 392 cc614-5W
Mr. Pickles

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many(a) homeless priority acceptances, (b) people living in temporary accommodation, (c) people living in bed-and-breakfast accomodation and (d) children living in homeless households there were in each year since January 1977, broken down by region. [79676]

Mrs. Roche

I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the information is available.

Jeremy Corbyn

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the number of homeless(a) individuals and (b) families accommodated in (i) bed and breakfast and (ii) hostels in each London borough; and what advice he is giving borough council's on the use of such facilities. [79659]

Mrs. Roche

The following numbers of homeless families are reported to have been in bed and breakfast and hostel accommodation as at 30 June 2002:

Families B&B Individuals Total Families Hostel Individuals Total
Croydon 337 198 535 5 0 5
Ealing 470 223 693 107 47 161
Enfield 149 79 228 18 47 161
Greenwich 20 46 66 56 26 82
Hackney n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Hammersmith & Fulham 320 271 591 128 12 141
Havering 0 0 0 48 24 72
Hillingdon n/a n/a 486 59 55 114
Hounslow n/a n/a 346 n/a n/a 171
Islington n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Kensington & Chelsea n/a n/a 383 n/a n/a 38
Kingston upon Thames 5 7 12 32 65 97
Lambeth 233 218 451 162 139 301
Lewisham 0 0 0 n/a n/a 339
Merton 37 22 59 39 14 53
Newham n/a n/a 845 n/a n/a 51
Redbridge n/a n/a 272 n/a n/a 41
Richmond upon Thames 20 28 48 50 18 68
Southwark 107 138 245 119 163 282
Sutton 40 23 63 10 25 35
Tower Hamlets 151 171 322 13 4 17
Waltham Forest 26 11 37 70 18 88
Wandsworth 2 436 438 0 139 139
Westminster n/a n/a 840 0 0 0
Total 2,576 2,184 7,932 1,347 1,021 3,044

The Government have committed that by March 2004, local authorities will ensure that no homeless family with children will be in bed and breakfast hotels other than in an emergency and even then for no more than 6 weeks. Advice to local authorities on the use of accommodation for homeless individuals and families is contained in the Homelessness Code of Guidance which was issued jointly by my Department and the Department of Health in July 2002.

The figures referred relate to individuals and families who are statutory homeless i.e. the number of applications to local authorities.