Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on ensuring that the Government disposes of properties which it no longer needs.

The government estate is now two million square metres smaller than in 2010 with a near 20 % reduction in overall holdings. Over 1500 buildings, including over 800 freehold properties, have been exited in this Parliament generating over £1.4 billion in receipts and reducing annual running costs by £625 million. Not only are we shrinking the size of the Estate but we are also getting more efficient at utilising the space we occupy. By the end of 2015 we will be well on track to reach 10 square metres per FTE. This makes the United Kingdom one of the most efficient governments in terms of estates utilisation in the world.