EMPTY DWELLING MANAGEMENT ORDERS

That this House notes that there are an estimated 700,000 empty homes in England and Wales; further notes that at the same time there are over 100,000 households in temporary accommodation in these two nations; recognises that in practice this could range from 230,000 to 500,000 individuals in temporary accommodation, according to Shelter and Crisis respectively; welcomes the Government's inclusion in its Housing Act 2004 of empty dwellings management orders which enable local authorities to bring long-term empty properties back into use; further notes that it has taken almost one year since the passing of that Act for the consultation on the necessary secondary legislation to have closed; and urges the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to respond to the consultation as quickly as possible so that local authorities can begin to use the orders to address their local housing needs.