Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist local authorities in taking action to bring empty dwellings back into occupation and to expedite the administrative and legal process.

According to the latest published statistics, excluding second homes, there are 719,470 vacant dwellings in England. 265,061 of these dwellings are classed as Long-Term Empty Homes, meaning they have been empty for more than 6 months. These statistics are published annually and accessible on gov.uk.

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to Question UIN 6686 on 14 October 2024 regarding the support government is providing to help local authorities tackle empty homes.