To ask Her Majesty's Government which government department owns the Royal Naval Division memorial on Horse Guards Parade; and which department is responsible for its upkeep.
Answered on
24 June 2019
In 2015, the Department for Education took ownership of the Old Admiralty Building (OAB) freehold. One of the key responsibilities, linked to the freehold, is to act as the custodian of the Royal Naval Division memorial. As part of this, the department is responsible for the maintenance of the memorial.
Since taking the freehold, the department has been undertaking a major refurbishment of the OAB. This includes significant construction work and, to enable this, the building services have been temporarily disconnected/reduced.
The refurbishment programme is due to complete in November 2019. Once the building services are re-commissioned, the water supply to the memorial will be connected.
In early 2020, the freehold for the OAB will transfer to Government Property Agency and they will become the custodian of the Royal Naval Division memorial.