§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the(a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) his agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has responsibility, in (A) 1995–96, (B) 1996–97, (C) 1997–98 to date and (D) 1997–98 full year.[26574]
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§ Mr. Geoffrey Robinson[holding answer 5 February 1998]: Empty properties has been taken to mean fully vacant buildings.
£ million Department 1995–961 1996–97 Annual cost 1996–97 Total value 1997–982 Annual cost 1997–982 Total value Inland Revenue — 0.2 1.0 1.9 2.0 Customs and Excise — 0.8 1.0 0.8 0.9 1 Prior to 1.4.96 responsibility for the disposal of vacant space fell to Property Holdings for the Common User Estate. 2 No distinction has been made between the current year to date and the full year. HM Treasury, National Savings, the Office for National Statistics or the Royal Mint do not have any empty property.