Written question asked by Ray Powell (Labour) on Wednesday, 29 July 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 31 July 1998. It was answered by Nick Raynsford (Labour) on Friday, 31 July 1998 on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and Regions how many homeless people have used Admiralty Arch (a) in total and (b) in each week since the homeless unit's establishment. - Includes figures.

Answer: Sir Raymond Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many homeless people have used Admiralty Arch (a) in total and (b) in each week since the homeless unit's establishment. [54707] Mr. Raynsford: Last winter Admiralty Arch was used by Centrepoint as one of the temporary winter shelters for rough sleepers funded by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions as part of the Government's Winter Shelter Programme. Almost 500 additional beds for rough sleepers were provided in London as part of the Winter Shelter Programme and about 50 in Bristol and Cambridge. The Admiralty Arch shelter provided 60 beds and was open from 15 December 1997 to 31 March 1998. During that time a total of 253 admissions were made by 234 individuals. Weekly breakdown figures are not available but for each month the shelter was open the average daily occupancy figures were: December 1997: 28.37 beds occupied January 1998: 45.22 beds occupied February 1998: 44.5 beds occupied March 1998: 37 beds occupied. The figures for December and March are lower due to staggered opening and phased closing.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 317 c635W; 54707
Session: 1997-98
Subjects: Central government Buildings Homelessness Sleeping rough Admiralty Arch
Contains statistics: Yes