§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those properties held by his Department and agencies responsible to him which are(a) wholly and (b) mainly unoccupied at present, giving locations and when they became so unoccupied in each case. [105302] Mr. Battle [pursuant to his reply, 19 January 2000, c. 478W]: An administrative error led to an omission in my answer of 19 January to the hon. Member. The correct answer should read as follows:
FCO policy is that no property should be left vacant unless this is unavoidable in the short-term or there are good reasons for retention (such as a break in diplomatic relations, as in Tripoli, Baghdad and Kabul). Properties which are surplus to our requirements are disposed of at an appropriate time (we had the former Residence in Jakarta on the market, but withdrew it when the market collapsed).