§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's houses or flats have been empty for three months, six months, nine months or longer; and how many of these are situated at Medhurst.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonRecords are not maintained in the precise form requested. As at 30 November 1989, the1014W latest date for which figures are available, 8,296 service married quarters in the United Kingdom, both houses and flats, had been vacant for under one year and 4,127 for one year and over. In addition, as at 31 December 1989, 103 Ministry of Defence civilian houses and flats in the United Kingdom had been vacant for under six months and 120 for six months and over. Many of these properties were either undergoing or awaiting major maintenance work or modernisation, some were already allotted to entitled occupants who were due to move in shortly and others were in the process of disposal.
We have been unable to identify the location to which the hon. Gentleman refers in his question but, if he will write to me with further details, I will attempt to provide the information requested.