HC Deb 27 February 1990 vol 168 cc181-2W
Mr. Soley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is his estimate of the number of empty residential properties in the private sector; and what is his estimate of the percentage that this represents of the total number of residential properties in the private sector;

(2) what is his estimate of the number of properties which are empty in each of the categories of (a) local authority housing, (b) housing association housing and (c) Government Department housing; and what is his estimate of the percentage that this represents of the total number of properties in each such group;

(3) what is his estimate of the number of vacant assured tenancies in the private sector (a) now, (b) in February 1989 and (c) in February 1988;

(4) what is his estimate of the number of vacant tenancies in the private sector by region of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Michael Spicer

The available information for April 1989 is in the table. Figures are for England, except in the case of Government Departments, which cover Great Britain.

Vacant dwellings (thousands) As a percentage of stock
1 Local authority 100.7 2.4
2 Housing association 21.8 4.2
3 Other public sector 35.1 18.1
4 Private 589.0 4.1

1 Derived from local authorities housing investment programme returns for April 1989. Includes dwellings which are closed or have been acquired for demolition, and dwellings on overspill estates.

2 Derived from housing association returns to the Housing Corporation for March 1989. Includes 13,500 dwellings, mainly purchased vacant from the private sector, which require rehabilitation work before suitable for occupation.

3 1988–89 figures reported by central Government Departments I o the Treasury and includes dwellings owned by local health authorities. Many are vacant because of operational requirements, notably those owned by the Ministry of Defence, and others have been acquired for demolition eg by the Department of Transport. The Government are encouraging the sale of housing which is surplus o requirements and many of those that are vacant are in the process of disposal.

4 Includes both rented and owner occupied dwellings. Local authorities provide figures in their housing investment programme returns, but because of the difficulty of obtaining up-to-date information on private sector vacancies, the estimates are likely to be less reliable than other information provided. The Department has no estimates of the number of vacant tenancies in the private sector or of vacant assured tenancies in the private sector. For information about Wales and Scotland I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Mr. McCrindle

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if there are any plans to introduce grants for housing associations and local authorities to bring unoccupied houses into use; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

[holding answer 23 February 1990]: Housing association grant and housing revenue account subsidy to local housing authorities are already available for a variety of activities which may bring unoccupied houses into use. Allocations of capital resources to associations and authorities also take account of the need for this work. The primary aim of the £250 million homelessness initiative announced last November was to bring empty housing association and local authority dwellings back into use.

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