To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on renting private accommodation for armed services personnel (a) in the last financial year and (b) this financial year to date. [119394]

The following figures show expenditure on substitute Service accommodation in Great Britain rented by the Ministry of Defence from the private sector when accommodation according to entitlement, within daily travelling distance from the work place, could not otherwise be provided for Service personnel and their families.

	£million
Financial year 2002–03	33.8
1 April to 31 May 2003	5.7

Roughly one third of the figures quoted is for family accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (a) single living accommodation and (b) service family accommodation was empty in each month since July 2002; and if he will make a statement. [119395]

The figures for empty single living accommodation are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The approximate figures for vacant Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in mainland United Kingdom at the end of each month from July 2002 to May 2003 are as follows:

	Number
July 2002	9,000
August 2002	9,100
September 2002	9,100
October 2002	9,200
November 2002	9,300
December 2002	9,300
January 2003	9,100
February 2003	9,200
March 2003	8,200
April 2003	8,200
May 2003	8,300

Since January 2000, some 12,000 surplus SFA have been released for disposal. The disposal programme will continue, but the numbers released are constrained by Service deployment uncertainties.