§ Mrs. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of homes in(a) London, (b) the south-east of England, (c) the south-west of England, (d) the midlands, (e) the north-east of England, (f) the north-west of England, (g) Scotland, (h) Wales and (i) Northern Ireland were affected by subsidence from 1985 to 1993.
§ Mr. BaldryThere are no centrally collected statistics on the number of homes affected by subsidence.
BRE Digest 352 "Underpinning" (Revised 1993) gives the annual value and number of insurance claims for subsidence and heave damage to dwellings based on payments made by the major insurance companies. This shows the number of claims to rise from about 10,000 per year in 1985 and 1986 to about 65,000 in 1991 and the value to rise from about £110 million per year in 1985 and 1986 to almost £550 million in 1991. The most recent figure available is that the value of claims exceeds £260 million for 1992.
A nationwide survey for the Building Research Establishment found that about 50 per cent. of all underpinning is carried out in London and the home counties. BRE Digest 352 illustrates the geographical distribution of underpinning projects as proportions of the national total in 12 arbitrary areas. The relevant figures are:
Percentage of national total London and South East England 33 Central Southern England 18 South West England 2 Midlands 20 East Anglia 12 North East England 3 North West England 4 Wales and Welsh Borders 3 Scotland 4 Northern Ireland 1