§ EARL HOWEMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government the second question standing on the Order Paper in my name.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government whether in view of the necessity to reduce military expenditure it is still necessary for the Army to remain in occupation of Donington Hall and the race track; how many men are now employed and whether it can now be stated when this property will be derequisitioned.]
§ THE MINISTER OR CIVIL AVIATION (LORD NATHAN)My Lords, Donington Park is the Army's best and main vehicle reserve depot in the United Kingdom. A very large amount of public money was spent on the site to make it so during the war. To derequisition the property, so far from reducing military expenditure, would necessitate great extra expenditure in order to provide similar facilities elsewhere. The permanent retention of Donington Park by the War Department is under consideration by the Inter-Departmental Committee on Services Land Requirements. The number of personnel employed at the depot is at present 422.
§ EARL HOWEMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is aware that the retention by the Army of this particular property means that there is no motor race or testing track available for use by cars in his country, and that the British motor industry is suffering from this fact at the present time?