HC Deb 08 September 2003 vol 410 cc35-6W
Linda Perham

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received on the(a) size and (b) condition of the homeless population. [127840]

Keith Hill

The most recent national estimate of the number of rough sleepers was derived from the 2002 Housing Investment Programme return from local authorities and shows a figure of 596—based on single night street counts and estimates.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's latest Statistical Release on statutory homelessness, from returns to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by local authorities covering figures for England up to the end of March 2003, was published on 17 June.

Information summarised in Table 4, "Acceptances by category of Priority Need", shows that 129,320 households were accepted as homeless and in priority need by local authorities in England during 2002–03.

National and regional P1E-based figures—which include estimates for non-responding local authorities—appear in a quarterly Statistical Release, available in the Library of the House and via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website. An accompanying Supplementary Table presents key data at regional and local authority level. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website link is http://www.housing.odpm.gov.uk/statistics/publicat/homelessness/index.htm#quarterly

In May the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued a consultation document on "Improving Standards of Accommodation for Homeless Households in Temporary Accommodation". This seeks views on proposals to give the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Bed and Breakfasts target full statutory force and to raise standards in all forms of temporary accommodation, particularly Bed and Breakfasts and to ensure that households in Bed and Breakfast hotels have access to health education and social services.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with the Department of Health to tackle the health inequalities that homeless people face as outlined in "Tackling Health Inequalities—A programme for Action".