Prescott: Defending government record

Ministers have been pushed onto the defensive by figures showing a rise in the number of homeless families.

Figures for England confirmed 100,810 households were officially designated as homeless at the end of September.

That figure was up from 99,380 at the end of June.

However, deputy prime minister John Prescott has defended the government's record.

He is set to announce details of a five year plan to help 500,000 homeless people at a cost of £150 million.

Some £90 million will go on improving hostels for homeless people.

And a further £60 million will be given to local councils and the voluntary sector to deliver frontline services.

Prescott told the BBC the government was making inroads in tackling the problem.

"We have reduced homelessness in the sense of rough sleeping and people put into bed and breakfast," he said.

"Since [taking power] we have increased the amount of decent homes by one million, we have doubled the amount of housing investment, we have reduced families in bed and breakfast by 94 per cent and we have reduced rough sleeping by 70 per cent."

The deputy prime minister also warned that solving the problem would mean an increase in house building.

"At the end of the day, as all the housing associations and charity groups are saying, we have got to provide more housing," he said.

"One of the problems is that one million houses were taken out of social housing by the right to buy and the money wasn't used to build alternative housing.

"I inherited a total mess. I have got to deal with it. The five-year plan will show how we are providing homes for all."