Written question asked by Lord Pickles (Conservative) on Thursday, 29 November 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 3 December 2007. It was answered by Iain Wright (Labour) on Thursday, 13 December 2007 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Sleeping Rough: Immigrants

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the increase in rough sleeping in London arising from changes in the immigration from east European nations following EU enlargement.

Answer: Local authorities who conduct rough sleeper counts collect information on any individuals sleeping rough who do not have recourse to public funds and are therefore unable to be moved off the streets. These will include those from EU accession states.In 2007, four London boroughs reported eastern European rough sleepers as part of their street count:"Westminster: 112 rough sleepers including 20 eastern Europeans;""City of London: 45 rough sleepers including five eastern Europeans;""Lambeth: 15 rough sleepers including three eastern Europeans;""Redbridge: five rough sleepers including two eastern Europeans."There has been major progress in tackling the worst form of homelessness, that of people sleeping on the streets. Since 1998 we have reduced rough sleeping by 73 per cent. Councils will receive at least £150 million over the next three years to help them prevent and tackle homelessness including rough sleeping. This is the biggest ever cash injection for homelessness services.We are funding Homeless Link to take forward targeted work to address homelessness among eastern Europeans. This involves both work with voluntary organisations, particularly in London, and organisations in the source countries to facilitate returns.

Secondary information