§ Mr. CartwrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army married quarters have been sold on the open market during each of the past five years; and what were the net annuals proceeds from such sales.
§ Mr. NeubertThe number of married quarters that have been sold on the open market during each of the five years is given in the table. The net annual proceeds from such sales are identifiable only for 1988–89 and 1987–88, since records were not kept in this form prior to 1 April 1987.
Financial year Number of quarters sold on open market Proceeds of sale £ million 1988–89 81 2.819 1987–88 212 5.517 1986–87 326 — 1985–86 100 — 1984–85 67 —
§ Mr. CartwrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances and on what terms serving soldiers are able to purchase Army married quarters which are surplus to requirements.
§ Mr. NeubertSurplus married quarters that are suitable for sale to individuals are offered to service personnel at a discount of 30 per cent. on the market value. In order to be eligible, service personnel must be aged 25 or over and neither they nor their spouses must have held a freehold interest in a house or other residential property, or a lease with an unexpired term of 21 years or more, since 1 December 1983. Where more than one application is made, preference is given to the applicant with the longest period of reckonable service.
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§ Mr. CartwrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army married quarters have been made available for sale to serving soldiers in each of the past five years; and how many have been sold to(a) officers and (b) other ranks.
§ Mr. NeubertSince 1 December 1983, a total of 1,195 surplus Army married quarters have been offered for sale to soldiers. A total of 339 were sold to officers and 642 to non-commissioned personnel. In the time available it has not been possible to provide a year-by-year breakdown of these figures.