§ Mr. Staintonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the numbers of built and caravan second homes in England and Wales by standard region; how these relate to regional housing stocks; what is the recent annual growth in establishing second homes; and how this compares with additions to the total housing stock.
§ Mr. ChannonThe number of permanent dwellings used as second homes in England and Wales increased by an estimated average of 15,000 annually 419W from 1968 to 1972; in the same period, net additions to the housing stock averaged 216,000 annually.
The estimates of second homes are derived from interviews with national samples of households, which are too small to yield reliable regional estimates. However, it appears that in 1972 under 1 per cent. of the permanent dwellings in most regions were second homes; in East Anglia the proportion was between 1 and 2 per cent. and in the South-West region and in Wales between 2 and 3 per cent.
§ Mr. Staintonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of households in England and Wales he estimates own or have regular use of second homes; and how this compares with the position in European countries for which data may be available.
§ Mr. ChannonAbout 2 per cent. of households living in England and Wales have a second home in Great Britain; roughly half of these second homes are permanent buildings and half are static caravans. Unofficial data derived from a small sample survey and based on a different definition of second homes were tabulated for several European countries on page 20 of "Second Homes in England and Wales" published by the Countryside Commission.