HC Deb 21 July 1994 vol 247 cc561-2W
Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what covenants he has prepared relating to the upkeep of the listed buildings on the site of the Royal Marines school of music at Deal in the event of the sale of the site; and what effect the inclusion of the listed buildings is likely to have on the value of the site as a whole for private sector development.

Mr. Soames

As no decision has been made to sell the site at Deal, the question of preparing covenants relating to the upkeep of listed buildings has not arisen. The impact that listed buildings may have on the value of the site, should it be disposed of, will depend on the nature of any proposed future use, which would be considered under the normal planning and listed building processes.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to his answer of 19 July, if he will commission an independent study by a firm of chartered accountant and management consultants of the commerci-ally confidential and operationally secret material relating to his proposals for the Royal Marines school of music, Deal; if he will include in the consultative document a summary of their assessment; and if he will allow suitably qualified consultants representing local interests access to the relevant material and the defence cost study;

(2) if he will explain the different methods of setting out the cost of training of Royal Marines bandsmen used in the Minister of State's answer of 20 June, Official Report, column 64, and his oral statement of 14 July, Official Report, column 1171, and if he will set out a reconciliaton of the two different amounts on the basis of (a) annual costs and (b) total training period costs;

(3) what assessment his Department has made of the market for military land and buildings in (a) Uxbridge, (b) Twickenham and (c) Deal;

(4) pursuant to his answer of 19 July, if he will list the names and addresses of the principal contractors and sub-contractors used of maintenance by the Royal Marines school of music at Deal; and if he will estimate the contribution to the local economy of the annual spending on maintenance at the school of music;

(5) pursuant to his answer of 19 July, if he will make a statement on the reason for the level of expenditure on maintenance at the Royal Marines school of music at Deal; if he will provide an indication of the main heads of expenditure under this item each year; what assessment he has made of the value for money of this expenditure; and if he will publish figures for Uxbridge and Kneller Hall as a comparable basis to those given for Deal.

Mr. Soames

I will write to the hon. Member.