Official residences are assigned to Ministers by the Prime Minister either on grounds of security or in order to allow them to perform better their official duties. Rules on the use of official residences are set out in the Ministerial Code. Official residences which have been allocated to Ministers in the last 10 years are as follows:
The flats above Numbers 10 and 11 Downing street have traditionally been the residences of the Prime Minster and Chancellor of the Exchequer;
Flats 1, 2 and 3 in Admiralty House and the Government House in Pimlico have in the past been assigned to a variety of Ministers, which have included the Deputy Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, the Defence Secretary and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Government House in Pimlico is no longer required and is in the process of being sold.