§ 14 and 16. Miss Vickersasked the Secretary of State for War (1) how many farms, houses and cottages are owned by his Department and leased to people other than military personnel; and what is the total income from, and expenditure on, these properties;
§ (2) how many acres of land in Great Britain owned by his Department are used exclusively for military purposes.
1288§ Mr. Ramsden162,000 acres of land owned by the War Department in this country are used exclusively for military purposes. 249 farms and 2,838 houses and cottages on land owned by the Department in this country are leased to people other than military personnel and certain civilian staff. In 1961–62 the total income from these lettings was £260,000, and the total expenditure £295,000.
§ Miss VickersIn view of the vast expenditure on these cottages, would not it be more economic for the War Department to sell them to the individuals who are now living in them or to other people? Is my hon. Friend aware that this seems to me not a very advantageous arrangement in view of the vast staff which the Land Department of the War Office has to maintain?
§ Mr. RamsdenI can assure my hon. Friend that we do not retain any more land or buildings on land than is necessary for the proper purposes of the Department. We do not keep land or buildings for the sake of having them. The discrepancy between the rent we receive and the expenditure is partly explained by the fact that because a lot of the land is used for training it does not command the same rent as comparable agricultural land would. There is also a backlog in the repairs programme, although I hope this position will soon be a good deal better.