Empty Service Properties

HC Deb 28 November 1995 vol 267 cc569-70W

24. Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many empty service properties his Department currently possesses. [837]

Mr. Soames

As at 30 September 1995, my Department owned 13,898 vacant service families quarters. Of these, 3,202 were in the process of being sold while the majority of the remainder were either awaiting major maintenance work, held for unit deployments, already allocated to service families due to move in shortly or formed part of the management margin needed to ensure that accommodation is available to house entitled service personnel.

A continuing programme should ensure significant additional disposals of surplus quarters during the next 12 to 18 months.