Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Oral Statement of 7 November 2016, Official Report, column 1288, on the Defence Estate, what the content was of the military advice that his Department received on its proposal to close Invicta Park Barracks in Maidstone.

The "A Better Defence Estate" strategy was developed with Military advice from the Front Line Commands and was agreed by the single Service Chiefs and the Defence Board. Civilian HR representatives were also involved regarding impact for civilian staff. Initial discussions on the announcement were also held with Local Authorities immediately following the announcement and this will be followed up with more detailed discussions particularly concerning local planning issues.