§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many vacant domestic dwellings there are in the UK. [155990]
Mr. Robert AinsworthThe latest available information, based on data supplied by local authorities in their annual Housing Investment Programme returns, indicates that 763,900 residential properties were vacant in England on 1 April 2000. A level of vacancy is a usual feature of the housing market, reflecting turnover and movement within the stock.
I refer the hon. Member to the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for equivalent information in those countries.