HC Deb 20 November 2002 vol 394 cc125-6W
Mr. Sanders

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1)how many persons were homeless in(a) December 2001 and (b) January 2002; [81708]

(2)how many persons were homeless during (a) December 2000 and (b) January 2001; [81939]

(3)how many homeless persons were living in (a) bed and breakfast hotels, (b) hostels and (c) other temporary accommodation in (i)December 2001 and (ii) January 2002; [81706]

(4)how many homeless persons were living in (a) bed and breakfast hotels, (b) hostels and (c) other temporary accommodation in (i)December 2000 and (ii) January 2001; [81941]

(5)how many homeless persons were living in (a) bed and breakfast hotels, (b) hostels and (c) other temporary accommodation in (i)December 1999 and (ii) January 2000; [82395]

(6)how many persons were homeless during (a) December 1999 and (b) January 2000. [82392]

Mrs. Roche

The precise information requested is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Summary information on local authorities activity under statutory homelessness provisions is reported to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on a quarterly, rather than monthly, basis, and it relates to households rather than persons. 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 at the end of each quarter.

National and some regional information on local authorities activity is provided in a quarterly statistical release published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. This includes information for recent quarters and years on the number of households accepted as homeless (Table 2), as well as those in various types of temporary accommodation, including bed and breakfast and hostels (Table 6). Copies are available in the House Library, and also via the ODPM website. The latest edition, which was published on 11 September 2002, presents statistics up to the end of June 2002.