§ 10. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for War what was the acreage of Army land in 1951, 1956, and 1963; and what was the acreage of land per man in the Army in those three years.
§ Mr. KirkIn 1951, 1956 and 1963, the War Department held and used in the United Kingdom 609,000; 568,000; and 461,000 acres of land respectively. Related to the field force units of the Regular Army in this country, the per capita figures were 16.2, 12.1 and 15.0 acres respectively.
Mr. Allaun: Recently, it has gone up. Is the hon. Gentleman aware of the resentment that, despite smaller manpower, the Army is keeping its clutches on hundreds of thousands of acres of land badly wanted for housing, farming, or for access to the countryside? Some of the most beautiful parts of the country are still held.
§ Mr. KirkThe total figures have gone down, as I said The per capita figure appeared to have gone up with the end of National Service. In fact, since 1957, we have given up about 135,500 acres of land, and we dispose of it as soon as it becomes surplus to requirements.