§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Ashfield,Official Report, 6 March, column 719, what was the total acreage used by his Department in 1989; and what are the comparable figures for (a) ownership and (b) use by his Department in (i) 1960, (ii) 1970 and (iii) 1980.
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§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe relevant figures are shown in the table:
Year Land and Foreshore in MOD Ownership (Freehold and Leashold) (acres) Land and Foreshore over which MOD has long term rights (acres) 1989 596,265 249,699 1980 618,477 76,785 1972 658,756 56,331 1970 630,096 53,406 1960 782,819 79,000 The figures for 1960 and 1970 exclude the Procurement Executive estimate. Title in property held by the former Minister of Aviation Supply was transferred to the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 May 1971; figures for 1972 have been included in the table to reflect these changes.
The increase in land held under rights in 1989 is due to the renewal of two leases which granted long-term rights over areas where previous arrangements were on a short-term basis and did not qualify for inclusion in the statistics. Records of land used under rights for periods of less than three years are not held centrally.