Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nigel Adams and Christian Matheson

Monday 23rd July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab)]

16. What assessment he has made of trends in homelessness since 2010.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Nigel Adams)]

This Government are serious about tackling homelessness, which is why we have allocated more than £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness to 2020. We have implemented the most ambitious legislative reform in decades: the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. We have also committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and to ending it by 2027, and we will shortly be publishing a strategy that sets out our plans to do that.

[Christian Matheson]

Homelessness has doubled nationally since 2010, but the increase is greater in the north-west. Why is that?

[Nigel Adams]

I know how seriously the hon. Gentleman takes this issue, and I am very encouraged by the work he is doing collaboratively with his local authority and organisations such as Chester Aid to the Homeless and Share. They will welcome, as I am sure he does, the £1.15 million that has been recently provided to help on this issue. Like me, he will be encouraged by the latest figures, which show a 9% fall nationally in statutory homelessness acceptances in the past year.