HL Deb 11 May 2004 vol 661 cc25-7WA
Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which Ministry of Defence heritage sites will have open days in 2004. [HL2603]

Lord Bach

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is committed to increasing public access to its heritage estate and is actively participating in the various heritage open days initiatives this year. The MoD is working closely with the civic trusts, the Environment and Heritage Service (Northern Ireland) and London Open House to maximise the number of heritage sites taking part subject to security, health and safety, and resource constraints. Participation in the 2004 events is currently in the planning phase and it is therefore too early to predict the number of participating sites. However, 24 heritage sites took part in 2003 and it is hoped this number will be exceeded this year.

Many MoD sites organise their own open days, conduct tours or hold special events on an ad hoc basis as part of their own community liaison and communications programmes. No details are held centrally.

Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings in the defence estate are currently unoccupied. [HL2604]

Lord Bach

The Ministry of Defence does not hold details of the activities undertaken in its listed buildings on a central database. Apart from structures that cannot be occupied for practical reasons. the department attempts to find appropriate uses for its historic buildings. This is most difficult in the case of buildings constructed for specific industrial or storage activities, notably those in the Royal Dockyards, where substantial internal alterations would be inappropriate.

Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the disposal plan for unoccupied Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings in the defence estate. [H L2605]

Lord Bach

Vacant historic buildings, which have no sustainable operational use are transferred to a suitable occupier, following the guidelines published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Unoccupied buildings declared surplus by the Ministry of Defence are disposed of, taking account of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport guidelines, which are approved by the Treasury. In the case of listed buildings, maximising receipts is not an overriding objective and we aim to obtain the best return for the taxpayer that is consistent with Government policies for the protection of historic buildings and areas. This is done in consultation with the appropriate heritage authority.

Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the current book value of unoccupied Grade I and Grade II *listed buidlings in the defence estate. [HL2606]

Lord Bach

Information on unoccupied historic buildings and structures is not kept separately or on a central database and it is therefore not possible to give an accurate response. Asset valuations in the department are based on depreciated replacement cost (DRC) which reflects the cost of replacing the facilities provided by the building or other infrastructure. Listed buildings are, therefore, valued for their capacity to provide support to the delivery of defence and not as heritage resources with an open market value.