§ 19. Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Minister of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force stations and airfields have been closed since 1945; and how many of these are still retained by the Ministry of Defence.
§ Lord LambtonI regret that, due to the large numbers of stations and airfields which were created during the war, this information involves a great deal of research. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as I have the information.
§ Mr. McNair-WilsonI am very disappointed by my hon. Friend's reply. He told me some time ago that 120,000 acres were still being held. By my computation that adds up to approximately 133 251 airfields. Why do we have to have the remnants of the Second World War still littering the British countryside?
§ Lord LambtonI suppose it could be said that the majority of airfields are remnants of the Second World War.