§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many empty Ministry of Defence houses in the United Kingdom are earmarked for(a). officers and (b) other ranks broken down by individual service; and if he will make a statement. [118651]
§ Dr. MoonieService Families Accommodation (SFA) is managed on a tri-Service basis and is provided according to entitlement i.e. rank and family size. A breakdown by individual Service is not therefore450W available. The figures given are for SFA on mainland UK. As at 5 May 2000, there are 2,092 unoccupied officers' properties, of which 752 are allocated and 216 are undergoing refurbishment. There are also 12,437 unoccupied other ranks' properties, of which 4,007 are allocated and 1,359 are undergoing refurbishment.
The majority of empty Service quarters are only temporarily so. There are over 22,000 Service family moves a year and this requires a management margin of empty stock ready for incoming occupants. An on-going modernisation programme and Defence reorganisations also demand that a considerable number of properties are empty while work is completed and further plans are clarified. Come 6,500 surplus properties are planned for disposal during the next two years.
As at 2 May 2000, in Northern Ireland, there are 50 unoccupied officers' quarters of which 17 are allocated and three are undergoing refurbishment. There are also 423 other ranks' quarters of which 118 are allocated and 11 are undergoing refurbishment.