§ Mr. ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the costs of bringing an empty home back into a good standard of repair. [51116]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Department's 1996 English House Condition Survey (EHCS) includes information on the repair costs for vacant dwellings
The average expenditure required for the comprehensive costs of putting empty homes into good order is identified by the survey at just over £6,500.
§ Mr. ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of residential properties in England which have been empty for a year or more. [51118]
§ Mr. RaynsfordAt the time of the 1996 English House Condition Survey, it was estimated that some 415,000 dwellings (2 per cent. of the total housing stock) had been empty for six months or more. The Survey does not provide figures on the number of properties empty for a year or more.