asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the Military Barracks at Ballater, Aberdeenshire, are unoccupied; and whether it is intended that they shall be used by his Department in the near future or whether they can be made available as married quarters for civilian housing purposes, having regard to the serious shortage of accommodation.

It is intended to reoccupy these barracks in the near future. I regret, therefore, that the suggestion made in the last part of the Question cannot be adopted.

Would it not have been better if instead of these barracks remaining unoccupied, they had been used for housing military pensioners, or something like that, because they are buildings of the cottage type, each capable of housing a family?

I think there were special circumstances in connection with this matter. In any case, we now propose to occupy them.