We all in this Chamber are involved in the work of developing policy. Perhaps there is an ambition, perhaps there is a problem that we are trying to solve, perhaps we'll find a solution sometimes, but the question, 'Yes, but how much does it cost?', is an inevitable question to be asked and, often, I'm afraid it's asked as a way to prevent the implementation of new policy perhaps. But, yes, there is a cost related to most things. Most policy areas include some kind of balance between additional costs and how much will be saved, and it’s about looking at all options. That’s what’s important. And that, of course, includes looking at the cost of doing nothing. And that’s certainly true in the area of homelessness.

Homelessness costs billions of pounds to public services. Housing benefit that's paid for temporary accommodation costs around £2 billion in the United Kingdom annually. Some argue that that figure in itself would be enough to pay for permanent accommodation for those who have to sleep rough at present. Now, there are costs also for the NHS and social services, the justice system, the administration costs for local authorities and all kinds of other institutions that have to deal with the results of homelessness.

And then there are the indirect costs of failure to reach potential, educational potential, and the loss of income through taxation as people lose their jobs, with the costs for local businesses who find that their towns are unattractive because of a lack of support for those sleeping rough. The costs fall across so many areas.