§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many empty homes her Department(a) had five years ago and 547W (b) has now, by region; if she will establish an empty homes strategy within her Department; and if she will set a target for reduction in empty homes. [92919]
§ Alun MichaelOn 1 April 1998, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food had vacant dwellings at the following locations:
- Three in Littlehampton, West Sussex.
- One in Liscombe, Devon.
- One near Lymington, Hants.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs currently has vacant dwellings at the following locations:
- Two at Cawood, near Selby, north Yorks.
- Two at Martyr Worthy, Winchester, Hants.
The Department already has a strategy for empty dwellings. If they are not any integral part of a bigger property such as a farm, they will be sold as soon as possible. If they cannot be sold, they will be offered for letting subject to any security considerations.
Arrangements are already in hand for the disposal of the dwellings which are currently empty. The sale of the Cawood properties should be completed by the end of March 2003 and the sale of the Martyr Worthy properties should be completed by or around the end of June 2003.