§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Solicitor-General what the total area in square feet of all empty properties owned by(a) her Department, (b) her agencies and (c) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility was in each year since May 1997. [37808]
§ The Solicitor-General[holding answer 25 February 2002]: My own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, does not own or lease any empty properties and has not owned or leased any empty properties in each of the last four years.
In the Department for which the Attorney-General is responsible, details are as follows:
Crown Prosecution Service
The total area in square feet of all empty property owned by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since May 1997 is as follows:
884W
- 24,720 square feet in 1997–98
- 24,720 square feet in 1998–99
- 51,809.4 square feet in 1999–2000
- 19,851.1 square feet in 2000–01
- 19,288.4 square feet in 2001–02.
The Crown Prosecution Service currently has direct financial and managerial responsibility for offices in 108 locations. This comprises four freehold sites, 25 buildings were the leasehold interest relates to the whole property and a further 63 buildings where the leasehold interest only relates to part of the premises.
In May 1997, the Crown Prosecution Service had contactual commitments on six empty office buildings with a total floor area of 24,720 sq ft.
This increased to nine buildings by may 199, and an additional 27,089 sq ft.
This reduced by May 2000 to a total of 19,851 sq ft in six premises.
By May 2001 there were six empty office buildings which the Crown Prosecution Service had as leasehold interests, with a total floor area of 19,288 sq ft.
Expressed as a percentage against the total floor area under Crown Prosecution Service stewardship, the amount of vacant office space decreased between May 1997 and December 2001 from 4.6 per cent. during financial year 1997–98 to 2.2 per cent. for financial year 2001–02.
Treasury Solicitor's Department
The Treasury Solicitor's Department has not empty properties. The Treasury Solicitor's Department headquarters building (Queen Anne's Chambers, SW1) is fully occupied, but some small shop units in the frontage, let to commercial concerns, have been vacant from time to time as follows:
- 291 square feet in 2000–01
- 478 square feet in 2001–02 (to date).
In 1999, following closure of the Government Property Lawyers, the building they used was largely vacated. The following square feet of space was vacant space in 1997–98 and subsequent financial years:
- zero square feet in 1997–98
- zero square feet in 1998–99
- 15,950.67 square feet in 1999–2000
- 24,913.33 square feet in 2000–01
- 10,136.47 square feet in 2001–02 (to date).
Serious Fraud Office
The Serious Fraud office does not currently own or lease any empty property and has not owned or leased any empty property in each of the last four years.