asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many houses in the Hemel Hempstead constituency have been acquired by the Departments of the Environment and Transport in each of the last five years; how many are currently empty; how many are currently leased; and whether he will make a statement.

The Department of the Environment and, since its formation in 1976, the Department of Transport, have acquired properties in the last five years as follows:

1973	Nil
1974	1
1975	2
1976	Nil
1977	1

These properties are let. They were acquired at the request of owners, under the blight provisions of the Town and Country Planning Acts, as they were affected by the proposals for the Kings Langley bypass. Ownership of those acquired before 1976 was transferred from the Department of the Environment to the Department of Transport under the Secretary of State for Transport Order 1976.