§ 53. Mr. Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Air the total price paid, or agreed to be paid, by the Air Ministry for all the sites upon which aerodromes have been or are to be built, up to the nearest appropriate date; the acreage involved; whether it was agricultural land; what were the rents paid to the owners; and what rates to the local authorities?
§ Sir K. WoodSince the beginning of the Royal Air Force expansion and up to 30th June last £1,025,000 has been paid, or terms agreed, for the purchase of 23,920 acres for sites for aerodromes, landing grounds and ranges in the United Kingdom. The bulk of the land was agricultural, but it would not be possible, without the expenditure of an undue amount of labour, to ascertain how much of the land was under actual cultivation at the time of purchase, the rents paid to owners, or the rates paid to local authorities. In almost every case the land was agricultural land, and, as such, derated.