§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many empty buildings his Department currently owns; what is the cost of insuring and securing these buildings; how many were designed as residential properties; and what was the total amount spent by his Department on empty property taxes in each of the last five years. [14568]
Mr. John M. TaylorMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is providing figures for empty buildings on the common user estate. These figures cover most of my Department's properties. This reply supplements the central response by supplying information covering properties classed as departmental estate for which my Department currently has direct responsibility.
My Department is currently responsible for nine empty buildings. These are all on the Department's site at Teddington.
My Department carries its own insurance risk on these buildings, so on expenditure on commercial insurance has been incurred. It does not maintain separate records of the costs of securing empty buildings.
Two of the empty buildings were designed as residential properties but one was used for non-residential purposes before it was vacated.
My Department pays a contribution in lieu of rates on its Teddington site, but figures to show the element attributable to the empty properties are not available. The following council tax payments have been made in respect of empty properties: 746W
Figures for payments made before 1993–94 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
- 1993–94: £270.40
- 1994–95: £297.00
- 1995–96: £341.50.