Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the causes of the rise in homelessness as published on 3 October in the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government's report Statutory homelessness in England: financial year 2023–24.

The statistics published on 3 October shows that the most common reason for loss of accommodation for households threatened with homelessness was termination of a private rented assured shorthold tenancy (AST). For households that were already homeless, the most common reason was that their family or friends were no longer willing or able to accommodate them. The Renters’ Rights Bill will abolish Section 21 evictions for both new and existing tenancies at the same time, giving all private renters immediate security and assurance.

The Government will look at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.