Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there are no derelict houses in the UK.

Housing is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Government is committed to reducing the number of long-term empty homes to increase the supply of housing.

In England, the number of long-term empty homes is down by nearly a third since 2010. At May 2010 over 300,000 homes had been standing empty for longer than 6 months. As of October 2017 the number of long term empty properties had fallen to 205,293.

Local authorities in England have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes, and through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.

The Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill, which was introduced on 28 March, proposes to strengthen the powers available to local authorities to tackle empty homes in England. Local authorities will be able to charge a 100 per cent council tax premium (currently 50 per cent) to homes that have been empty for at least two years.

Local authorities in England also have a discretionary power under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to deal with derelict land and buildings.