§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the number and proportion of MOD homes currently vacant; what are the reasons for them being empty; what were the equivalent figures a year ago; and how many homes have been empty for more than 12 months. [3644]
§ Mr. SpellarAs at 31 March 1997, the most recent date for which figures are available, the Ministry of Defence held a stock of 65,800 Service families quarters in Great Britain of which 13,142 were empty. Directly comparable figures for March 1996 are not available due to the transfer of responsibility for reporting for properties in Great Britain from the individual Services to the Defence Housing Executive at which time the format changed. However, equivalent figures are available for June 1996 and these are as given.
March 1997 June 1996 Total stock 65,800 69,348 Number empty 13,142 13,149 Reasons: Identified for disposal 1,755 3,629 Allocated to incoming families 3,364 3,535 Awaiting major works 2,533 1,923 Temporarily surplus, seeking lease out agreement 633 459 On military base (not available to dispose of or lease out due to security constraints) 1,117 828 Remainder empty and under review 3,740 2,775 It is not possible to identify how many of the properties currently empty have been empty for more than 12 months as the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.