To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty dwelling management orders there have been in each housing authority area in the North East region to date. (318825)

In total 29 interim empty dwelling management orders have been issued to date. A residential property tribunal authorised the issue of one interim empty dwelling management order by South Tyneside council in March 2009.

Empty dwelling management orders should only be considered as a last resort, where all other measures of investigation and negotiation have been exhausted and the local authority has been unable to persuade the owner to bring the property back into use. In many cases the threat of an empty dwelling management order is sufficient to make owners take action.