§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has now considered the proposals recently submitted to him for a model code of practice for empty property owned by public authorities; and whether he will now introduce such a code.
§ Mr. StanleyI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the empty property code on p. 36 of "Homes Wasted". The Government have already issued detailed and practical guidance to local authorities in the Department's publication "Reducing the Number of Empty Dwellings", a copy of which has been sent to every local authority in England. This proposes not only that authorities should consider all possible means of using empty dwellings for both long-term and short-term lettings as in "The Empty Property Code" but should also consider all possible means of bringing them back into use through sales for home ownership as well.