asked the Secretary of State for War in what condition the battle school area in Suffolk was left by his Department; whether he is responsible for maintenance of the dykes during the period of occupation; and if he will give an assurance that the water supply was not left in a polluted state.

The condition in which the battle school area was left by my Department is that which normally resulted from four years of use as a battle school using live ammunition, and with no normal maintenance. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture decided that the public interest in this case did not justify physical restoration of the land and my Department accordingly will discharge its liability in respect of the damage to the land by the payment of compensation under the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939. The question of the water supply is, as I have already stated, a subject on which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health is being consulted.