§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of properties owned by his Department and suitable for residential accommodation have been empty for (i) up to a year and (ii) over a year; and where these properties are located, by region of the United Kingdom or local authority area.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe Home Office owns quarters available for members of the prison service. As the Home Office is in the process of selling surplus prison service quarters, precise information is not available on a regional basis, but a broad estimate is that 10 per cent. of quarters have been vacant for more than 12 months and 3 per cent. for less than 12 months.
The following information is available about accommodation owned by the Property Services Agency but managed by the Home Office. Four properties managed by the Directorate of Telecommunications have been vacant for more than a year: one in Somerset and three in Nottinghamshire. Two out of 12 properties at the civil defence college in North Yorkshire have been vacant for over a year. Four out of 37 properties at the fire service college in Gloucestershire have been vacant for less than a year and two for over a year.