§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for each health authority(a) the square footage of unused properties and (b) the square footage or acreage of unused land and the estimated value of each category as a percentage total land and property and as a percentage of the total land and property value of each authority; and if he will make a statement as to his Department's policy on the sale of unused land and property.
§ Mr. GristThis information is not recorded in the form requested and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information about the acreage of the land held by the National Health Service in Wales including the surplus land no longer needed for health purposes is available and is summarised in the following table:
District health authority
Total estate (acres)
Surplus area (acres)
Percentage surplus
Clwyd 113.0 20.80 18.40 East Dyfed 189.0 1.65 0.87 Gwent 369.0 28.50 7.72 Gwynedd 358.0 107.00 29.89 Mid Glamorgan 694.0 48.00 6.92 Pembrokeshire 41.6 4.50 10.82 Powys 236.0 77.00 32.63 South Glamorgan 500.0 48.00 9.60 West Glamorgan 81.0 23.00 28.40 TOTAL 2,581.6 358.45 13.90 The Department's policy is that surplus land will be sold in a publicly acceptable manner for the best possible price and the sale proceeds will be used for the benefit of health care in Wales.
The chief valuer of the Inland Revenue estimated the open market value of all National Health Service land and property in Wales in March 1988 to be approximately £219 million.