To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect on the Government’s housing strategies in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England of trends in the numbers of (i) repossessed and (ii) empty homes in the last 12 months. (265722)

We continue to monitor trends in numbers of repossessed and empty homes. Information on repossessions is available separately from the Council of Mortgage Lenders and Financial Services Authority. These data are available at the UK level only. Information on mortgage and landlord possession orders at county court level are available via the Ministry of Justice website:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/stats-landlord-mortgage-historic-20-02-09.xls

For trends in long-term (over six months) vacant dwellings at England and local authority level, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 December 2008, Official Report, column 586W. We have strengthened local authorities’ powers to deal with empty homes through:

Use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) that allow councils to bring homes back into use without forcing change of ownership;

Supporting the publication on 10 March of the independent Empty Homes Agency’s Guidance on Empty Dwelling Management Orders, for which my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning provided the foreword;

Promoting best practice among local authorities by hosting a seminar.