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Homelessness
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) statutory single homeless people and (b) non statutory homeless people are (i) in bed and breakfast, (ii) in hostels, (iii) in squats and (iv) sleeping rough; and what plans he has to reduce the numbers of non-statutory homeless people. [20534]
Mr. Byers: On 30 June 2001, the total number of households being accommodated by local housing authorities in bed and breakfast hotels under existing homelessness legislation was 11,340 and a further
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9,440 households were being accommodated in hostels. Information about the proportion of these which were single person households is not held centrally.
It is estimated that there are 532 people sleeping rough in England on any one night in autumn 2001, compared to 1,850 in 1998.
Information is not held centrally about the number of households living in squats or the number of households who are self-placed in hostels or bed and breakfast accommodation.
The Homelessness Bill, when enacted, will require local authorities to conduct a review of the levels, and likely future levels, of all forms of homelessness in their area and to develop a strategy for preventing homelessness and ensuring that sufficient accommodation and support is available for those who are or may become homeless.
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My right hon., noble and learned Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning also announced yesterday that a new Homelessness Directorate will be set up to bring together and invigorate existing work to help homeless people, as well as develop new work to help prevent homelessness, and investigate its underlying causes.
London Underground
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much London Transport has spent on consultancy costs for the London Underground public private partnership and the forecast of total expenditure. [20965]
Mr. Jamieson: I understand from London Transport that their expenditure on external consultants from 20 March 1998 (the date of the Government's announcement) to 30 September 2001, for work on the PPP and restructuring of London Underground, was £80.2 million and London Transport estimate that the final amount should be around £98 million.