HC Deb 30 November 1995 vol 267 c807W
Dr. David Clark

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many empty residential properties for service personnel his Department currently has in(a) Yeovil and its environs and (b) Somerset. [3345]

Mr. Soames

My Department currently owns 53 vacant service families quarters in Yeovil and its environs and an additional 25 elsewhere in Somerset. Of the vacant quarters, 24 at Ilchester are awaiting demolition as part of a larger plan for the redevelopment of the area. The remainder are either already allocated to service families due to move in shortly or form part of the management margin needed to ensure that accommodation is available to house entitled service personnel.

Dr. Clark

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many residential properties for service personnel his Department is currently building in Yeovil; [3347]

(2) how many residential properties for service personnel his Department intends to build in Yeovil; [3348]

(3) what is the cost to his Department of the residential properties for service personnel currently being built in Yeovil. [3349]

Mr. Soames

My Department is not currently building any residential properties for service personnel in Yeovil. However, we intend to build 120 properties to accommodate service personnel moving from Portland in late 1997 and 1998. We also plan to demolish 72 substandard properties in Ilchester and replace them with 84 new houses. It is not our practice to give estimated costs as this could prejudice the tendering process which is due to take place early in 1996.