Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review her departmental estate in order to reduce costs; and if she will make a statement.

Since May 2010, the Department for Education has reduced the size of its estate from 30 properties, at a cost of circa £51 million per annum, to six properties costing circa £31 million per annum. This is a saving of £20 million per annum.

In 2012, the Department announced an ambitious programme to reduce its estate from 12 sites to six, while maximising the efficiency of the buildings retained. This has now been achieved by reducing the amount of space we use, by surrendering unwanted facilities to landlords and through sub-letting vacant space to other organisations.

We also plan to vacate Sanctuary Buildings at lease expiry in 2017 and relocate to a Government owned freehold building, which will generate a further saving of circa £8.5 million per annum.

The Department is always looking to maximise the efficiency of its estate and we are currently working with the Cabinet Office’s Government Property Unit to update our Strategic Asset Management Plan.