Transport, Local Government and the Regions written question – answered at on 10 December 2001.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps his Department and the Rough Sleepers Unit are taking to improve the quality of information on the numbers of people sleeping rough.
My Department, through the Rough Sleepers Unit and the Housing Directorate's Housing Data and Statistics Division, monitors and seeks to improve information on the extent of rough sleeping in England by encouraging all local authorities to estimate the numbers of rough sleepers in their areas; by investigating claims by local agencies that they have evidence of a local problem that does not show up in local authorities' Housing Investment Programme (HIP) statistical returns to the Department; and by encouraging areas where there is a known rough sleeping problem to undertake street counts at appropriate intervals, depending on the size of the local rough sleeping problem.
Agencies and local authorities working with the Rough Sleepers Unit collect a range of other information about rough sleepers.
The hon. Member will know that the Homelessness Bill, currently in the other place, will place a new duty on local authorities to conduct regular reviews of the levels, and likely future levels, of all forms of homelessness in their districts.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.