§ Mrs. MaddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what statistics the Government have regarding the reasons for private sector dwellings lying empty.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesSome indication of the reasons for dwellings being vacant can be obtained from data about council tax exemptions, collected annually from each English housing authority. This information does not distinguish between dwellings in the private and public sector.
Additionally, broader information on the reasons for privately-owned dwellings being vacant is provided by the five-yearly English House Conditions Survey. The Department will soon have results from a research project which has tried to identify reasons for long-term vacancy in the private sector.