HC Deb 07 October 2003 vol 411 cc179-80W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless families there are in the UK. [129451]

Yvette Cooper

Information on local authorities' activities under homelessness provisions in England is published in a quarterly Statistical Release, "Statutory Homelessness: England". Table 3 of the Statistical Release presents a summary of those households accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need under the homelessness provisions of the 1996 Housing Act. Tables 6 and 7 summarise the number of homeless households in accommodation arranged by local authorities on the last day of the quarter.

Copies of the Statistical Release are available in the Library of the House and the latest edition, published on 10 September, presents statistics up to and including the second quarter of 2003. In the period April to June 2003, local authorities accepted 36,230 households as homelessness, and as at 30 June 2003 there were 93,480 households in accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness provisions of Housing Acts.

For information about other parts of the United Kingdom, I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The March 2002 report, 'More than a roof', set out the Government's approach to tackling and preventing homelessness. Specific measures included investment of £125 million in 2002–03 to support local authorities and voluntary agencies working with them to support new approaches to tackling and preventing homelessness. The Homelessness Directorate within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has a revenue budget of £70 million and a £23.5 million capital budget for 2003–04. These resources will help to support the Government's commitment that by March 2004 no homeless family with children should be placed in a bed and breakfast hotel other than in an emergency, and even then for no more than six weeks.

Funding will also support new approaches that help people tackle the problems that are making and keeping them homeless and help to sustain the Prime Minister's target to reduce rough sleeping by two thirds of 1998 levels.

While the latest quarterly statistics show increases in homelessness acceptances and the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation, there has been a significant reduction in the number of homeless families with children placed in bed and breakfast accommodation. The number of such families has fallen by 22 per cent. over the last quarter and 44 per cent. compared with a year ago. In addition, the latest rough sleeping figures for England, also published on 10 September, estimate that 504 people were sleeping rough on any one night—the lowest ever recorded level.

The rising trend in homelessness is the result of numerous complex factors, many of which are outlined in "More than a roof". In addition, the Priority Needs Order has extended the criteria by which people are assessed to have a priority need if they are homeless.

The Homelessness Act 2002 placed a duty on local authorities to have a strategy in place by the end of July 2003 to tackle and prevent homelessness, based on a review of homelessness in their district. While the number of homelessness acceptances is likely to continue to increase in the short term, improved housing supply and increased investment in prevention should lead to reductions in the longer term.