§ Mr. Banksasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the number of houses in defence establishments which have been empty for three years or more.
§ Mr. GoodhartOur records do not readily permit the identification of Service married quarters and civilian houses vacant for three years or more but there are probably several hundred scattered over many different locations. It is sometimes necessary to keep houses vacant for a considerable time to allow for future deployments. Where houses are identified as surplus to our long-term requirements, we aim to dispose of them as quickly as possible. The stock of houses has been reduced by 8,000 over the past three years.