§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to make use of his Department's empty residential property.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Scottish Office target for 1994–95 is to dispose of, or bring back into use, 60 out of an estimated total of 158 empty residential properties. The report of the task force on Government Departments' empty houses did not identify any problem affecting the Department which needed attention but we are committed to doing all we can to bring empty property back into constructive use. Sale or lease to a housing association for rent to those in housing need is one option to be considered for empty property, but the approach in each case will depend on local circumstances.