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Rented Housing

The hon. Gentleman tempts me into studies that the Committee has not done. The Housing (Empty Dwelling Management Orders) (Prescribed Exceptions and Requirements) (England) Order 2006 allows local authorities to refurbish and make available empty properties that are not being used. The Committee has considered the need to examine that issue in future. When we do so, we will report to the House. At present, we do not have any detailed evidence on the matter. I caution the hon. Gentleman against thinking that simply bringing empty houses into beneficial use would solve the problem, as the number of such houses is not sufficiently large. He gave us a snapshot figure that may include houses that have been empty for a relatively short time. Obviously, there will always be some empty houses that are being bought and sold or whatever. Therefore, it is an issue, but, numerically, it is not that important.