Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Defence Estate

Monday 1 February 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Kevin Hollinrake asked about steps the Department is taking to use the defence estate effectively.
  • The Department is updating infrastructure strategy plans, implementing an asset management system, and increasing investment in the estate.
  • RAF Linton-on-Ouse is currently being assessed for disposal as no long-term military requirement has been identified.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kevin Hollinrake Con Thirsk and Malton
Defence
Context

The MP is concerned about the efficient use of defence assets.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to make the most effective use of the defence estate. My constituents are very proud of the role RAF Linton-on-Ouse has had in the defence of our realm, all the way from the second world war to the current day—or near to it. Will my right hon. Friend update the House on any other potential purposeful military uses he has for the base?

Answer from Ben Wallace

We are taking several steps to ensure that we are using the estate in a most effective way. They include updating our infrastructure strategy plans; implementing an asset management system across the estate; and increasing investment in the estate to implement the defence estate optimisation portfolio, reducing our footprint and modernising our infrastructure. At the urging of my hon. Friend—the RAF have been in the process of drawing the base down—we did look at exploring other military uses for that base, but at the moment no long-term military requirement has been identified. Defence is therefore completing the final assessment, with disposal details to be announced in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific future military use of RAF Linton-on-Ouse was provided despite the question asking for one

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Q2 Kevin Hollinrake Con Thirsk and Malton
Defence
Context

The MP is concerned about the role RAF Linton-on-Ouse has played in defence history.

Question

My constituents are very proud of the role RAF Linton-on-Ouse has had in the defence of our realm, all the way from the second world war to the current day—or near to it. Will my right hon. Friend update the House on any other potential purposeful military uses he has for the base?

Answer from Ben Wallace

At the urging of my hon. Friend—the RAF have been in the process of drawing the base down—we did look at exploring other military uses for that base, but at the moment no long-term military requirement has been identified. Defence is therefore completing the final assessment, with disposal details to be announced in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No long-term military requirement was identified despite the question asking for one

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Q3 Khalid Mahmood Lab
Defence
Context

The MP is concerned about potential financial burdens on the taxpayer from defence estate closures.

Question

May I join the Secretary of State in sending our best wishes to Sir Tom for a speedy recovery? It is a well-known fact that in the 21st century we need to modernise our defence estates to compete, given changing world needs. The Government have announced the closure of 90 sites across the country, so will the Secretary of State update this House as to how his Department aims to ensure that the British taxpayer is not left paying huge rents on a great number of empty properties, as has already happened, when these sites are closed? How many of these defence estate sites will be affected by the Crichel Down rule?

Answer from Ben Wallace

The defence estate optimisation programme was and is planned to unlock £1.4 billion, to be reinvested in an overall plan of a £5.1 billion investment in the defence estate across the board, helping soldiers, sailors and air force personnel with better quality accommodation and a better training estate. Some of the PFI schemes introduced under his Government lay a heavy burden on the defence budget. We are both examining and negotiating on a number of those areas to try to reduce the overall burden on the taxpayer.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific plan was provided for preventing financial burdens from empty properties post-closure or exact numbers affected by Crichel Down rule

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