Grant Shapps:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many properties were vacant for a period of longer than six months in each region in each of the last three years; [270636]
(2) how many vacant dwellings there were in each region in each of the last three years. [270684]
John Healey:
Details of the number of long-term empty dwellings and all empty dwellings in each region in England on specific dates in each of the last three years are shown in the tables.
The data are from snapshots taken in the autumn of each year and are as reported to Communities and Local Government by all billing authorities in England on their annual Council Taxbase (CTB) and CTB (Supplementary) returns.
Long- term empty properties by regions
9 October 2006
7 October 2007
6 October 2008
North East
21,886
21,583
22,531
North West
71,811
73,047
73,888
Yorkshire and the Humber
36,336
40,084
43,352
East Midlands
27,763
27,542
28,910
West Midlands
35,910
34,833
35,495
East of England
25,039
24,704
26,255
London
40,142
36,534
37,150
South East
34,278
34,226
35,991
South West
25,276
21,732
24,285
Total England
318,441
314,285
327,857
Total empty properties by regions
9 October 2006
7 October 2007
6 October 2008
North East
48,287
48,099
50,623
North West
136,783
141,186
137,849
Yorkshire and the Humber
90,947
101,091
102,241
27 Apr 2009 : Column 1108W
East Midlands
65,495
70,084
76,956
West Midlands
79,208
80,401
79,848
East of England
68,485
69,107
75,198
London
86,701
84,627
85,924
South East
102,812
101,809
105,111
South West
69,441
66,915
70,272
Total England
748,159
763,319
784,022
Fire Services: Manpower
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department’s Fire and Rescue Service: Operational Statistics Bulletin for England, December 2008, for what reasons Merseyside Fire Authority has more retained firefighters than retained firefighter posts. [270246]
Mr. Khan:
The figure published for the number of retained firefighter posts in Merseyside fire and rescue service was incorrect, and should have been 185 units of 24-hour cover at 31 March 2008. The relevant table in the Operational Statistics Bulletin will be republished on the Department’s website with the figures corrected.
Fires: Domestic Waste
Mike Penning:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many refuse container fires in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire were recorded in each of the last five years. [271254]
Mr. Khan:
Information concerning fires attended by fire and rescue services, in England, is available at fire and rescue authority level and above only. Information regarding the number of fires solely in refuse containers is not held centrally.
Information regarding all refuse fires, attended by Fire and Rescue Services in England, including those in refuse containers is available in the table.
Total refuse and refuse container fires( 1) , England, 2003-07( 2)
FRS area
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007( 2)
England
152,461
119,430
114,307
107,677
108,335
Avon
3,583
2,587
2,136
1,613
1,489
Bedfordshire
1,332
1,074
980
863
911
Berkshire
1,323
986
869
796
831
Buckinghamshire
1,821
1,385
1,349
1,307
1,181
Cambridgeshire
1,233
1,065
1,056
1,134
941
Cheshire
3,865
3,366
3,494
3,160
2,881
Cleveland
4,776
3,569
3,787
4,001
3,853
Cornwall
414
386
375
412
320
Cumbria
1,519
1,234
1,441
1,400
1,305
Derbyshire
1,586
1,297
1,161
1,351
1,230
Devon
1,794
1,617
1,419
1,597
1,459
Dorset
674
585
569
540
525
Durham
2,674
2,185
2,332
2,325
2,419
East Sussex
1,312
1,175
966
905
862
Gloucestershire
1,022
781
777
661
618
Greater London
18,883
14,275
14,007
12,055
12,478
Greater Manchester
14,237
10,847
11,058
10,543
10,451
Hampshire
3,405
3,025
2,646
2,728
2,512
Hereford and Worcester
1,024
721
667
721
621
Hertfordshire
1,981
1,427
1,469
1,311
1,197
27 Apr 2009 : Column 1109W
27 Apr 2009 : Column 1110W
Humberside
5,460
4,217
3,824
3,515
3,459
Isle of Wight
120
142
130
131
130
Isles of Scilly
6
1
0
5
0
Kent
3,836
3,199
2,978
2,481
2,326
Lancashire
6,349
4,574
4,324
2,360
4,362
Leicestershire
1,772
1,550
1,392
1,455
1,429
Lincolnshire
874
726
662
836
965
Merseyside
12,913
8,854
7,310
7,086
6,493
Norfolk
1,045
941
914
1,032
861
North Yorkshire
1,255
973
985
1,026
940
Northamptonshire
2,056
1,651
1,634
1,361
1,409
Northumberland
1,199
901
856
888
949
Nottinghamshire
2,746
2,111
2,128
2,080
1,983
Oxfordshire
678
602
575
483
553
Shropshire
1,037
827
854
787
784
Somerset
729
556
490
507
541
South Yorkshire
5,850
4,670
4,965
4,958
5,563
Staffordshire
2,704
2,335
2,355
2,272
2,327
Suffolk
844
787
689
782
713
Surrey
1,185
951
945
940
916
Tyne and Wear
7,869
6,104
5,488
6,035
6,050
Warwickshire
1,088
936
831
887
816
West Midlands
9,514
7,733
7,570
7,067
7,029
West Sussex
1,212
972
838
727
728
West Yorkshire
10,949
9,030
8,455
8,000
8,407
Wiltshire
713
500
557
553
518
(1) Based on primary and secondary fire data. (2) Provisional data for 2007 are provisional and subject to change Notes:
1. Primary fire figures are based on sampled data weighted to true brigade totals.
2. Secondary fire figures are based on monthly FDR3 aggregated returns. Source:
CLG
