Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord McKenzie of Luton (Labour) on Tuesday, 26 January 2010.

Homelessness: Rough Sleepers

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rough sleepers there have been each night so far in 2010 sheltering in the arcades around the piazza of Westminster Cathedral.

Answer: The department does not collect data on the numbers of rough sleepers in any area smaller than a local authority area, such as the piazza of Westminster cathedral. Westminster City Council has more detailed information about the individual rough sleepers using the piazza area, but it does not collect information about numbers for each night. It may be able to provide an estimate based on the experience of local homeless services. We have reduced rough sleeping by 75 per cent since 1998. Our national baseline was 1,850 in 1998 and the latest headline figure based on local authority rough sleeper counts was 464 for 2009.

Secondary information