Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Children in Temporary Accommodation

Monday 29 November 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Children in temporary accommodation is a topic of concern in the UK Parliament.
  • Siobhain McDonagh highlighted that over 124,190 children will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation.
  • The government aims to reduce reliance on temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness proactively.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Siobhain McDonagh Lab Mitcham and Morden
Housing
Context

The question arises from the high number of children living in temporary accommodation, a situation that has been ongoing since at least 2015. The latest estimate shows 124,290 dependent children were in temporary accommodation as of June 30th.

Question

What recent estimate he has made of the number of children in temporary accommodation?

Answer from Eddie Hughes

It is certainly not ideal, but time spent in temporary accommodation does that mean people are getting help and ensures families have a roof over their heads. We are committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs, which is why we are investing £375 million this year to support local authorities to prevent homelessness, an increase of £112 million on the sum last year. However, on 30 June this year 124,290 dependent children were living in temporary accommodation, although that is down 2.3% on the same quarter last year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for a recent estimate was partially addressed but the answer included additional commentary and commitment language without concrete details or timelines.

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Q2 Siobhain McDonagh Lab Mitcham and Morden
Housing
Context

The question addresses the ongoing issue of children living in poor quality temporary accommodation, with some families moving hundreds of thousands of miles around the country at great cost.

Question

Some 124,190 children will spend this Christmas in temporary accommodation, without a place to call home. They will wake up in hostels, bed and breakfasts and working industrial estates, often far away from their schools and friends. Homeless families in the UK are moved the equivalent of 400,000 miles around the globe each year, at a staggering cost of over £1 billion. Given that there have been over 100,000 children in temporary accommodation since 2015, what hope can the Minister give this House, and more importantly those children, that they will at some point have a place to call home?

Answer from Eddie Hughes

I completely sympathise with the cause trumpeted by the hon. Lady and would say two things. First, some councils are doing innovative work in this area: I understand Barnet Council is working with Opendoor Homes to purchase properties itself to use for temporary accommodation, as in that way it can at least control the quality and associated cost. But my personal preference is the work we are doing through Capital Letters, which has been very successful so far in helping London boroughs secure properties for use for temporary accommodation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for hope and commitment was not directly addressed; instead, the answer discussed council initiatives without concrete timelines or commitments.

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