§ Mr. GregoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most recent figure for empty local authority housing; how many of these properties have been vacant for periods over six, 12 and 24 months, respectively; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonOn the basis of information returned to the Scottish Development Department, some 23,000 local authority houses are estimated to have been vacant at the end of March 1988. Information on the length of vacancies is not collected in the form requested, but, of the 8,150 vacant houses estimated to be available for letting, approximately 1,500 had been vacant for more than six months.
I am concerned that, where possible, empty houses should he brought back into use and I have sought details of authorities' policies in this regard.