Clause 2 - Homelessness Reviews
Homelessness Bill
11:45 am
Mr Don Foster (Bath, Liberal Democrat)
The hon. Gentleman is right that the issue of the advice given to homeless people was debated on a number of occasions. I clearly remember the lengthy discourse that he gave us on one occasion. If he checks the record, he will find that he was responding to an amendment moved by a Government Back Bencher. I certainly would not wish to suggest that the matter is insignificant.
As the hon. Member for Eastbourne says, the Government's response last time was that the subject was an argument A case. For Committee members who do not know what it is, argument A is similar to the suggestion that a Christmas tree should be decorated with as many baubles as possible. The problem is that once some baubles have been added, those missed off may seem to some people to be of no importance whatever. That argument has some merit in certain cases.
A more important result of that debate was an absolute assurance from the then Minister that the guidance to be issued to local authorities would include examples of best practice, and firm advice to ensure that that best-practice approach was adopted by local authorities. That Committee was told that copies of the revised guidance would be circulated later. My question to the new Minister, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, the hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Dr. Whitehead), whom we welcome to his place, is this: have the Government adhered to the undertaking given by his predecessor, and will it be possible for Committee members to see the most up-to-date version of the guidance so that we can be sure that those assurances have been followed through?