HC Deb 25 January 1989 vol 145 cc641-2W
65. Mrs. Maureen Hicks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the number of empty council homes.

Mr. Trippier

I can reply only for England. Returns made by English local authorities with their latest housing investment programmes indicate that there were 102,900 empty council dwellings at 1 April 1988. With the agreement of the local authority associations, my Department has carried out a survey of authorities' policy and practice with their empty dwellings; when the results are available, I will consider what action should be taken to bring these dwellings into use.