§ 23. Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review Ministry of Defence landholdings with a view to returning surplus land to community use.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIt is this Government's policy that the defence estate should be no larger than necessary for defence purposes; we continually seek opportunities for rationalisation and the release of land surplus to our requirements. In order to ensure the best return is achieved for the taxpayer it is our normal practice to offer surplus land for sale on the open market.