HC Deb 01 April 2004 vol 419 cc1608-10W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence properties in the Greater Portsmouth area have been released to(a) Annington Homes and (b) others in each year since 1996; and what projections he has made for further such releases in each of the next five years. [164619]

Mr. Caplin

Since the 1996 Annington Sale Agreement and up to 31 March 2004, 922 underleased properties with a PO(Portsmouth) postcode have been handed back to Annington Homes Ltd., as follows:

Number
1997 154
1998 197
1999 21
2000 70
2001 241
Number
2002 218
2003 20
2004 1

No other disposal of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) has taken place in the area.

Future projections are limited to the next three financial years, and as at 31 March 2004, 273 MOD properties have been identified by the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) in the Portsmouth postcode area for which there is unlikely to be a long-term requirement:

Financial year Number
2004–05 46
2005–06 47
2006–07 180

The 46 properties in financial year 2004–05 are planned for release to Annington Homes during 2004. Those in other years will be subject to review by the services.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has realised in capital receipts through the release of Ministry of Defence housing in the Greater Portsmouth area in each year since 1996. [164620]

Mr. Caplin

All the service family housing in the Portsmouth area was purchased by Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) in 1996. Capital receipts do not accrue to MOD from sales of surplus quarters by AHL, but the Government receives a proportion of the profits under the profit share agreement included in the 1996 sale agreement. Profit share from the sale of the 12,000 properties released through AHL since 1996 has amounted to £96 million. The amounts paid in respect of the Portsmouth releases could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties in the Greater Portsmouth area Annington Homes has returned to(a) his Department and (b) the open market in each year since 1996. [164621]

Mr. Caplin

The information is as follows.

  1. (a) No former service family housing has been returned to MOD by Annington since 1996.
  2. (b) When MOD hands back properties to Annington, it is Annington's decision whether to rent them out, release them onto the open market, or sell them to developers or social housing providers. The Department is not involved in this process and is not in a position to quote figures.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties his Department has obtained in the Greater Portsmouth area for housing purposes in each year since 1996; at what cost and from which source; and what targets have been set for further such acquisitions in each of the next five years. [164622]

Mr. Caplin

The Defence Housing Executive's Bristol Bath and Portsmouth PFI project includes 51 houses at Seafield Park, Fareham. Of these, 28 were completed in financial year 2002–03 and 23 in 2003–04. These are the only properties acquired in the Portsmouth area since 1996.