Clause 7 - Events which cause the duty to cease
Homelessness Bill
5:15 pm
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne, Conservative)
I am grateful for that clarification. This is a matter in which practice varies widely. At the time, I think that all Committee members felt that applicants should have time to deliberate and talk to their families and advisers—legal advisers even—before making a decision that will affect their lives for a long time. People should not feel pressured into making such decisions in a short space of time. Indeed, the then Minister said:
``In the overwhelming majority of cases, three days is too short a period in which to expect a person to decide on a final offer.''—[Official Report, Standing Committee D, 30 January 2001; c. 356.]
Three days was the period proposed in the Liberal Democrat amendment then before the Committee.
That leads us to the question of allocations, but I shall only touch on the subject because we shall have a much broader debate on it toward the end of the Committee stage. Things have moved on since our previous discussions, because at that time 90-odd authorities had applied for the pilot scheme of choice-based allocation. I am pleased to say that my borough of Eastbourne—as well as Bath, I think—was among those successful in bidding to pilot the Delft or choice-based scheme. We shall see how that works out with the pressures that I have described on available housing stock in places such as Eastbourne. The new development may have a significant effect on the problem.
My amendment is narrow. We have debated it before, and it seemed to be common ground, even with the previous Minister. I hope that this Minister will take the same view that, in the great majority of cases, three days is too short a time in which to expect people to make such a decision. I have plumped for four days. This is a probing amendment and the Minister will be pleased to hear that I shall not press it to a Division. However, the Government should re-examine whether some minimum period should be included so that, allowing for flexibility and those who want to make quick decisions, the people involved, who are often in a vulnerable position, do not feel unduly pressured into making a hurried choice.