Oral Answers to Questions — Defence – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 29th November 2004.
What his Department's plans are for the Fort George Army base.
No decisions have been taken regarding the future role of Fort George. However, options are currently being developed for consideration.
My right hon. Friend will be well aware of the superb facilities at the imposing Fort George base in my constituency. He will also know that it has a rich and varied history that dates back to its commissioning shortly after the battle of Culloden in 1746. Will he agree to meet me in the next few weeks to discuss possible future options for the base, especially using it as a Scottish training facility for the Army?
I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend; indeed, we had a successful meeting at Fort George after which we met interested parties. It is better to meet when we have a more mature point of view to express, but I am always prepared to listen to views in the community about the uses that could be made of the facility. He is right that there are excellent training facilities in the area, so that is clearly one of the positive aspects that we are considering.