Defence written question – answered at on 9 February 2010.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's housing stock in Scotland was (a) void and (b) uninhabited in each of the last five years; and what the estimated monetary value of such properties is.
While details of uninhabited service family accommodation (SFA) properties are not maintained separately, the Department does record those which are 'void' (not in use). According to the UK Defence Statistics, the following numbers of properties in Scotland were void in each of the last five years.
Total number of SFA (to nearest hundred) | Number of void SFA (to nearest hundred) | Percentage of total | |
2005 | 3,800 | 700 | 18 |
2006 | 3,800 | 800 | 21 |
2007 | 3,500 | 800 | 23 |
2008 | 3,600 | 900 | 25 |
2009 | 3,200 | 600 | 18 |
These figures represent a snapshot on a given date, and it is therefore not possible to identify specific properties, for how long each was void and what the value was of each property. However, an assessment of a property's market value is usually only made for disposal purposes when it is surplus to defence requirements.
While a 'management margin' of voids will always be required to ensure houses are available for service families, the current number of voids is recognised as being too high and the Department is working hard to reduce this to 10 per cent. by 2012.
Although the figures for 2010 have not been finalised, the latest available information indicates that some 16 per cent. of homes worldwide are void.
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