Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to bring empty homes in Linton-on-Ouse into use for resettlement purposes.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently has 76 houses located outside the security fence at Linton-on-Ouse. All are on lease from Annington Homes Ltd (AHL). MOD made a contractual commitment on 6 August 2021 to hand back 56 houses with vacant possession to AHL on 9 February 2022, after which they will no longer be controlled by the Department. This is part of an ongoing contractual requirement to hand back MOD houses to AHL on an annual basis. The remaining 20 houses need to be retained for use by the Department. Houses inside the security fence are not available for use other than by military families.