§ Mr. Michael SpicerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current number of vacant dwellings. [41645]
§ Mr. ClappisonEstimates of the numbers of vacant dwellings on 1 April 1994, the latest date for which figures are available, are as follows:
Number of vacant dwellings Local authority1 70,300 Housing associations2 20,700 Other public sector3 17,000 Private sector1 737,000 Total 845,000 Sources
1HIP1 returns.
2Housing Corporation HAR10/1 retrurns.
3Government Departments and HIP1 returns.
There are doubts about the quality of some authorities' estimates of the number of private sector vacants; independent survey data suggest that the HIP1 figures may over-estimate the total of these vacants.