Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Ministers vacated their official residence within (a) one week, (b) two weeks and (c) three weeks of leaving that position in each of the last ten years.

The official residences available to government ministers are:

• Flats above 10 and 11 Downing Street, which are available for the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer respectively;
• 1 Carlton Gardens, leased from the Crown Estate, which has been used as the official residence for the Foreign Secretary;
• Three flats in Admiralty House, to be allocated at the Prime Minister’s discretion; and
• Hillsborough Castle and Stormont, which are available for ministers in the Northern Ireland Office while on duty in Northern Ireland.

The Chequers, Dorneywood and Chevening estates are available to ministers for both official and private use. None of these properties are owned by the Government, and are run by trustees.

Chequers is used by the Prime Minister. The use of Chevening currently divided between the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and the Secretary of State for International Trade. By convention, Dorneywood is at the disposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Ministerial use of these official residences is managed by the relevant Government Department. Information on the time taken for Ministers to vacate those residences on leaving office is not held centrally.