To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the working party report on service accommodation requirements.
No. The Government's conclusions on the recommendations of the task force on service housing will be made public by announcements in the usual way.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service married quarters he plans to make available for purchase by members of the armed forces; and where they are located.
All surplus married quarters which are suitable for individual sale are normally offered for sale to service personnel through the services' discount scheme in the first instance. Those currently being offered for sale include properties in Exmouth, Devizes, Kirkudbright, Edinburgh, Barton Stacey, Gosport, Peterhead, Ripon, Lower Quinton, Uckfield, Southend, Chatham, Forres, Ely, Folkestone, Portsmouth and Plymouth.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discount will be offered to service personnel wishing to buy their service married quarters.
Service personnel purchasing surplus married quarters through the services' discount scheme are given a 30 per cent. discount.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service married quarters are currently vacant; and where they are located.
As at 30 September 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, 9,834 service married quarters were vacant.The regional breakdown is as follows:
| Region | Total vacant |
| Northern | 98 |
| Yorkshire | 731 |
| East Midlands | 745 |
| East Anglia | 622 |
| South East | 3,604 |
| South West | 1,659 |
| West Midlands | 289 |
| North West | 121 |
| Wales | 273 |
Region
| Total vacant
|
| Scotland | 1,191 |
| Northern Ireland | 501 |
| Total | 9,834 |
Many of these properties were either undergoing or awaiting major works or modernisation, some were already allotted to service families who were due to move in shortly, and others were being considered for disposal. In addition, 1,613 houses were in the process of being sold.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether service personnel leaving the armed forces will have the same right to purchase their service married quarters as those continuing in the services.
Service personnel in general do not have a right to purchase their service married quarters. There is, however, a scheme under which service personnel may apply to purchase surplus vacant married quarters at a discount. We are examining the scope for giving personnel who will be made redundant a degree of priority under this discount scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of service personnel are married; and what proportion live in service married quarters.
Approximately 52 per cent. of service personnel are married and approximately 20 per cent. of service personnel live in service married quarters.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service married quarters he is planning to make available to housing associations; for how long they will be made available; whether the housing associations will be charged; and where the properties are located.
Discussions with housing associations are continuing. It is too soon to provide details of any scheme that may be adopted.