I wonder whether my hon. Friend has come across cases such as that of my constituent, Jane Dennis, who came to me having been told that she could expect to wait up to two years in bed-and-breakfast accommodation and is currently expected to wait another nine months. I have a letter from a locum psychiatrist describing her depressive illness, which includes

"a decrease in energy, poor concentration, initial and terminal insomnia . . . feelings of" unworthiness

"guilt and self blame about her current situation." It says that she was

"tearful throughout the assessment, her sense of control had ceased and she was becoming increasingly distressed in the presence of her son." That is a mild illustration of the sort of mental stress that people experience when told that they can expect to wait a long time in bed-and-breakfast accommodation.