asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland on Thursday 4 March, Official Report, columns 263–4, how much was realised by the sale of the 127 houses; and what is the anticipated cost of remedial works to houses and services.

The 127 former airman's married quarters at Middleton-St-George were sold by tender in early December 1981 and the sale formally completed in February 1982 for the sum of £1,016,000. A block sale was arranged because neither the sewers nor roads footpaths and street lighting were adopted. In addition some 64 of the homes were inter-connected and it would have been necessary to erect separating walls to create individual homes.It was estimated that it would cost over £200,000 to have the roads and sewers adopted. A further figure of £40,000 for fencing, gardens and erection of walls to make individual houses of 64 which were inter-connected would also have been individually essential. Thus it may have been possible for the Public Services Agency to market the properties with an expenditure of some £250,000 but this would have taken a very lengthy period.