§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence why his Department's property, Queen Mary buildings in Stillington street, has been rendered uninhabitable; what was the cost of doing this; what is the intended future use of the buildings; and what consideration was given to using them to house the homeless in the interim period.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonQueen Mary buildings consists of four blocks of six-storey flats. Two of the blocks are fully occupied; the other two have been vacated because repairs are necessary in order to rectify corrosion in steel reinforcement bars. Structural investigations have been carried out at a cost of £75,000 to establish the extent of the corrosion and remedial work is now in hand.
The flats are used by military personnel who need to live within close proximity of their place of work. When repairs have been completed all the flats will be required by my Department. The empty blocks are not suitable for occupation due to their structural condition.