Figures collected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister show a 99.3 per cent. reduction in the number of homeless families with children living in bed-and-breakfast hotels for longer than six weeks, and who were placed there by a local housing authority as a discharge of a homelessness duty, over the two years since March 2002 when the target was set. Local authorities reported a total of only 26 families with children in bed-and-breakfast in excess of six weeks as of 31 March compared with an estimated 3,500–4,000 homeless families with children placed long-term in bed-and-breakfast hotels in March 2002. This reduction reflects the excellent achievement of local authorities working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. A total of 328, or 95 per cent., of local authorities met the bed-and-breakfast target.

In London, where the highest concentrations of homelessness exist and where the highest number of families had been accommodated in bed-and-breakfast hotels, there were no homeless families who have been in bed-and-breakfast for longer than six weeks on 31 March.

Figures collected also show that the total number of homeless families with children in bed-and-breakfast was reduced by 88 per cent. from an estimated 6,730 in March 2002 to 780 in March 2004. This is the first sustained reduction in total use of bed-and-breakfast to house homeless families for over a decade.

Tabled below shows the breakdown of bed-and-breakfast figures for March 2004 for the 16 local authorities that failed to meet the target. A table showing the breakdown for all local authorities is available in the Libraries of both Houses. Further information is also available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's web site www.odpm.gov.uk.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will continue to work with local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and other stakeholders to sustain this target and our successful reductions in rough sleeping. We will also continue to work with stakeholders on tackling and preventing wider homelessness problems more effectively.

The table shows the 31 March 2004 monthly monitoring figures for homeless families with children (FWC) in B and B accommodation for the 16 authorities that failed to meet the target.

All local authorities that failed to meet the target provided details of the families concerned. A number of families are described as "housed pending review outcome". In these cases the families have submitted an appeal against the authority's decision on their homelessness application. In such instances the local authority can choose to continue to house the family under discretionary powers.

Services include opportunities for businesses to register for e-filing with Customs and Excise, Inland Revenue and Companies House in one go as well as a filter to help users identify which licences they need to trade.

Advice is provided in clear language on issues which businesses have identified as important and relevant to their needs. It is supported by practical tools to achieve results and therefore reduce the time that businesses have to spend on regulations and other matters.

Work has now largely been completed on the radical restructuring of the DTIs business support to create products that promote enterprise innovation and best practice to meet customer need for a streamlined range of products that are easy to access.

Four of these new products were released in 2003: Grant for Research and Development, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea and the Small Firms Loan Guarantee.

Five new support products became available to businesses during April this year. These are: Collaborative Research and Development, Knowledge Transfer Networks, Access to Best Business Practice, Support to Implement Best Business Practice and Selective Finance for Investment in England.

Small and medium sized businesses will be able to access these products through Business Link. Larger corporates and business organisations can access them through the DTI while the Regional Development Agencies will deliver products which deal with specific regional issues. Detailed information about all these products are available to businesses through the Business Support Directory available on Businesslink.gov.

In the development of these products I have been advised by an expert Investment Committee that includes and is chaired by independent business members. The Committee will ensure that the impact of DTI products is thoroughly evaluated and that there is a clear economic rationale for the support we provide.

The closure of business support schemes the DTI has funded in the past is progressing as quickly as possible but at a pace which meets outstanding commitments.