Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Office of Government Property's policy is on the disposal of surplus land following the withdrawal of that office's previous guidance on that matter on 1 June 2021.

The new Government Property Strategy, which was published in the Summer, sets out the policy to achieve a smaller, better, greener government estate, disposing of surplus, underutilised and poor quality property to enable efficiency savings and bring in capital receipts. When disposing of surplus sites, organisations should assess alternative uses and Government policy priorities to identify the most appropriate disposal mechanism.

Work has been underway to revise guidance for the disposal of government property to reflect the aims of the new Strategy. It is intended to reissue this guidance in the New Year.