§ Dr. David Owenasked the Minister of State for Defence (1) what is the value of all property holdings held by his Department separated into land values and building and equipment values;
(2) what is the value of all property held by the Royal dockyards and the Royal ordnance factories and the respective values of their billings and equipment.
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§ Mr. Ian GilmourValuations of Ministry of Defence property have not been made in the past except when required for specific purposes. No need has arisen hitherto for market valuations of the Royal dockyards or the Royal ordnance factories and none is available. To prepare valuations would involve considerable work and the valuations would probably bear little relation to the value of the properties for their present highly specialised use.
No comprehensive valuation has ever been made of all Ministry of Defence property holdings. The Property Services Agency is, however, to undertake a systematic review of the Government's capital assets in real estate, and this examination will include a valuation of at least some of the Ministry of Defence's property holdings.
Dr. David Owen asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the total capital value of all major equipment items owned by his Department that have an expected life of more than five years and a unit cost greater than £100,000.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourThe capital value of major equipment items or defence assets is not recorded except in certain establishments where the information is needed for efficient administration.