§ 24. Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to accelerate the transfer of redundant married quarters and other residential accommodation to civilian use. [30578]
§ Mr. SoamesMy Department has accepted a target to dispose of 4,000 surplus married quarters by the summer of 1996. It has been agreed that properties identified for sale, but on which no sale is in progress after six months, will be auctioned.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many homes were owned at 1 April by his Department or the armed services; and how many were unoccupied on that date in (i) York, (ii) North Yorkshire, (iii) Yorkshire and Humberside, (iv) England and (v) elsewhere. [31586]
§ Mr. SoamesAs at 31 March, the latest date for which figures are available, my Department owned the following dwellings:
Stock Vacant York 530 100 North Yorkshire 4,382 538 Yorkshire and Humberside 5,243 776 England 53,789 10,298 Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 20,249 2,931 Of the vacant properties, five in York, 68 in North Yorkshire, 161 in Yorkshire and Humberside, 2,947 in England and 289 in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were in the process of being sold.
Many of the remaining vacant properties were undergoing or awaiting major maintenance work, held for unit deployments, already allotted to families due to move 180W in shortly or formed part of the management margin needed to ensure that accommodation is available for entitled service families.