Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of unoccupied MoD housing stock on local communities.

No assessment has been made regarding the impact of unoccupied Ministry of Defence (MOD) housing on local communities. However, the MOD remains committed to fostering strong relationships with these communities.

We maintain a certain number of defence housing as vacant to allow for personnel to be rotated, and others are empty awaiting upgrade, repair or disposal. We are aware that communities purge homes that are lived in - whatever their type - and our new housing offer to our people will see modernisation of more defence homes and expanded eligibility meaning more defence homes being used.