§ The Minister for Social Exclusion and Deputy Minister for Women (Mrs. Barbara Roche)I am today issuing a consultation paper on temporary accommodation for homeless households. The consultation paper sets out and invites comments on proposals to
Strengthen existing homelessness legislation such that placing homeless families with children in B&B hotels for longer than six weeks will not be permitted;Issue statutory guidance to clarify existing minimum standards for all temporary accommodation used by housing authorities to accommodate homeless families and individuals under the legislation;Issue statutory guidance on additional standards that should apply to B&B hotels where this is used by housing authorities to accommodate families with children for less than six weeks, or other households and individuals for any length of time, under the legislation; andIssue statutory guidance on the arrangements that should be put in place to ensure that all households placed in temporary accommodation by housing authorities under the legislation receive support to ensure that their health, education and social services needs are met.Responses to the consultation are invited by 5 August 2003. A copy of the consultation paper has been placed in the Library of the House.