§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual management and maintenance costs of empty residential properties belonging to his Department by region of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Ministry of Defence does not keep information on its residential properties in the form requested.
§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of properties owned by his Department and suitable for residential accommodation has been empty for(a) up to a year and (b) over a year; and where these properties are located, by region or local authority area.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonStatistics are not collected in the precise form requested. The latest figures available show that on 30 November 1989 there were 76,068 service married quarters, of which 10.9 per cent. had been vacant for under one year and 5.4 per cent. vacant for over one year. At 31 December 1989, of 1,790 civilian houses owned by the MOD, 5.8 per cent had been vacant for under six months and 6.7 per cent. for over six months. The breakdown by region is:146W oven and (d) a dishwasher and what was the percentage five years and 10 years ago; and what were the percentages for the United Kingdom as a whole at those times.
§ Mr. Cope[holding answer 20 February 1990]: The table provides available information on the percentage of households in Northern Ireland and in the United Kingdom that possessed the consumer durables about which information is sought. The figures relate to the most recent year for which information is available. The table provides similar data for 1983 and for 1978. As noted in the table, comparisons are in some instances with Great Britain where United Kingdom data are unavailable.
Percentage of Service Married Quarters vacant by region as at 30 November 1989 Region Under 1 Year Over 1 Year Northern 12.1 5.4 Yorkshire/Humberside 13.7 7.3 East Midlands 11.9 18.6 East Anglia 8.5 3.7 South East 9.8 4.3 South West 10.5 4.0 West Midlands 9.6 8.3 North West 13.3 0.7 Wales 19.0 4.7 Scotland 14.2 7.0 Northern Ireland 11.5 1.2
Percentage of civilian houses vacant by region as at 31 December 1989 Region Under 6 months Over 6 months Northern 3.8 24.5 South West 2.6 17.3 South East 7.3 0.8 West Midlands nil 5.3 Scotland 3.4 15.4 Wales 6.5 9.7 Some of these vacant properties are in the process of disposal, others will be undergoing major maintenance or refurbishment, and yet others are allocated and awaiting the arrival of the families to the unit.