HEALTH Secretary Steve Barclay said that the Government is making good progress in reducing rough sleeping.
He downplayed the significance of comments made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who said rough sleeping can be a lifestyle choice.
Barclay told GB News: “My view in the Department of Health is particularly to reduce the number of rough sleepers and we’ve already done that by a third.
“We are making progress and my focus is working with the veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, particularly in terms of rough sleeping of veterans. We’ve got a programme Operation Fortitude, Johnny and I are working very closely together to tackle that, that’s my point.
“We’re tackling rough sleeping, we’re bringing the numbers down. I think what the Home Secretary was talking about is where accommodation is available, how we work with people to ensure that accommodation is used.”
Speaking to Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster, he continued: “We’ve got a clear programme with Operation Fortitude to do that as a key priority to support our veterans.
“Whether it’s accommodation, let’s ensure that it’s used, but above all, we are bringing the number of rough sleepers down, we brought it down by a third and we’ve got a particular priority to support our veterans.”
On the cost of living, he said: “We recognise that the cost of living pressures from the war in Ukraine and the consequence of the pandemic has made it very tough for many families and that has put pressure on household budgets.
“That is why the Treasury has responded with the huge package of support particularly around supporting people with their energy bills, but also support more widely…one of the challenges we face is that taxes are higher, we want to bring tax down.”
