Government has no "overarching" strategy to help homeless people, it has admitted — but it hopes data collected in the recent census will help it "plan the way forward".

The authorities also don't keep a record of the number of seniors on the streets and don't have a "specific plan" to help them, despite the concerns of experts who believe the elderly may make up the majority of the Island's homeless population.

The issue of homeless seniors came under the spotlight earlier this month when The Royal Gazette detailed the plight of "Marshall", a 76-year-old man who has been sleeping rough for more than a decade, and revealed that a war veteran in his eighties and a seriously ill diabetic man were also without shelter.

The story prompted Health Minister Walter Roban to release a statement insisting that work was being done to meet the needs of the homeless.

"This is an area of concern to the Government and we are working to pull together the pieces that eliminate the need for people to live 'rough'," he said.

The Minister declined to be interviewed on the topic, as did Social Rehabilitation Minister Neletha Butterfield.

But answers provided by Government a week later to questions posed by this newspaper (see separate story) suggest that little useful information on the homeless has been gathered in the last eight years, even though the resources are available to help them.

Government said a 2002 report on the homeless by the late Health Minister Nelson Bascome was never approved for release and "certainly would not be of much use today as relates to providing accurate data from which to base policy decisions".

"The 2010 Census will provide us with more accurate information from which to base policy decisions," it said. "The Government has available resources and is providing a variety of services to assist those persons who require and/or are seeking assistance."

It added: "It must also be accepted that accurate data is required for any and all of us to make the right policy decisions."

The Department of Statistics did not provide information on how the homeless data was being captured by press time last night.

Former Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler said Mr. Bascome's "voluminous report" inspired him to make his Out Among The Ins documentary film about those living on the streets.

The Government backbencher — who will today officially launch his bid to be Premier by calling for the Island to come together to tackle homelessness — claims he ordered Ministry staff to do another survey of the homeless in January 2008, the results of which have never been made public.

"We formed another committee and the attendance was great," he told this newspaper, adding that when he resigned his Cabinet post in June 2009 he left the project in the hands of his replacement, Ms Butterfield.

Government said recent estimates by the Salvation Army suggest a homeless population of between 200 and 350 people. "The 2010 Census, which is presently under way, will provide us with better estimates of the true numbers".

It said the case of Marshall — not his real name — was reported to the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged in July by Salvation Army volunteer Lucy Willitts but that no health care assessment was arranged because his family was "very much involved in his life".

"[He] is not homeless. He can stay with family if he wishes and they accept responsibility for his care."

Mrs. Willitts responded: "I don't believe it because I have seen him in the same shirt for days. He needs to be looked after. I think it's rubbish. The thing he told me is that he wants a safe place to stay."

Shadow Health and Seniors Minister Louise Jackson said Government allowed the Salvation Army to shoulder the burden of helping the homeless but that didn't assist those aged over 65, who cannot stay in the charity's overnight shelter.

"Government can't deny the fact that they are not offering any facilities or help for the homeless," she said. "They have admitted that."

l Mr. Roban's full statement can be found online at www.plp.bm/node/3133.