§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current average weekly rent for his Department's residential properties, how many of them are empty; how many empty properties are awaiting sale; and what is the average period for which those empty properties awaiting sale have lain empty.
§ Mr. HanleyMarried quarter charges vary according to the type and grade of the property and level of furnishing, while rent for Ministry of Defence civilian houses depends on the size of the property and the terms of occupation. The current overall average weekly rent for my Department's residential properties could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, I can give the following information on the various married quarter charges which are effective from 1 April 1994:
Daily Rates £ MQ Type Grade 1 2 3 4 I (Officers) 8.83 8.02 5.61 3.54 II 7.97 7.24 5.07 3.23 III 6.99 6.37 4.48 2.87 IV 6.14 5.59 4.07 2.59 V 5.38 4.92 3.53 2.33 D (Other Ranks) 4.28 3.92 2.86 1.85 C 3.95 3.60 2.63 1.72 B 3.63 3.32 2.42 1.60 A 2.78 2.54 1.89 1.29 These figures are for fully furnished quarters and therefore represent the highest level of charges. Quarters are also avaialble on an unfurnished or part furnished basis.
988WAs at 31 December 1993 there were 10,108 vacant married quarters and 151 vacant MOD civilian houses. Of the married quarters, 2,450 were uninhabitable because they were undergoing or awaiting major works, 1,466 were held against future deployments, 1,973 were already allocated to service families who were due to move in shortly and the remainder were available for allocation or under consideration for disposal. In addition, 1,468 vacant married quarters and 25 vacant civilian houses were in the process of being sold. The calculation of the average time for which those empty properties awaiting sale have lain empty could only be carried out at disproportionate cost due to the frequency of service moves and the number of individual records involved.