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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of under-occupied homes on housing availability in West Dorset constituency.

Under-occupation is recorded in the English Housing Survey’s annual statistics.

The choice to sell a home is ultimately one for the owner of the property to make.

However, the government are taking steps to modernise the home buying and selling process, including through digital innovation.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), we are also giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report.