Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's report, a Better Defence Estate, published in November 2016, how the figure of £140 million running costs saving over 10 years, rising to nearly £3 billion in total to 2040 was calculated.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has gathered financial data on the running costs of each site intended for disposal under "A Better Defence Estate", including Hard Facilities Management, Soft Facilities Management, rates and utilities.

The savings are calculated from the difference between the disposal sites' and receiver sites' running costs. The savings have then been forecast based on the implementation plan's disposal date for each site.

The projected running cost savings also take into account potential Private Finance Initiative unitary charges. The MOD will continue to refine its assessments of savings throughout implementation of an update to parliament each year.