Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) individuals, (b) couples and (c) families are registered in the UK as seeking accommodation.

Local authority housing waiting lists in England under the last Administration rose from 1.02 million households in April 1997 to 1.74 million in April 2010. Under this Government, waiting lists have now fallen to 1.69 million as of April 2013.

Information is not collected on household type. Figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations.

This Government has given councils greater freedoms to manage their waiting lists, and worked to give greater priority to those with local connections and members of the Armed Forces.