Government faces urgent question as homeless deaths top 500 in 2018
20 December 2018
Melanie Onn, the Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government has asked an urgent question on statistics relating to the deaths of homeless people.
Following a project by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will today, for the first time, release an official report on homeless deaths. Announcing the collection of this "experimental data", the ONS said their report would,
"Act as a measure for the number of rough sleepers and night shelter and hostel users that die each year and will improve understanding of how and why homeless people die".
Housing Secretary James Brokenshire outlined the Government's policies on tackling rough sleeping.
Melanie Onn accused the Government of complacency and "outsourcing of responsibility" on this issue.
- Watch Parliament TV: urgent question - statistics relating to the deaths of homeless people
- Read Commons Hansard: deaths of homeless people
- Read Commons Library briefing: Local Authority Homelessness Data
- Office for National Statistics Statement (external)
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