HC Deb 08 May 1951 vol 487 cc1745-6
30. Surgeon Lieut.-Commander Bennett

asked the Minister of Works what will be the cost of the machinery to be installed to operate the metal doors at the main entrance to the new block of Government offices in Whitehall Gardens; and what safeguards will exist to ensure that it will operate at times of loadshedding or other damage or cuts in the supply of power.

Mr. G. Brown

The cost of machinery to operate the doors at Whitehall Gardens is approximately £800 for each pair of doors and was included in the cost of the doors which was given by my predecessor in his reply to Questions on 24th April. An emergency power supply is available in the building to operate the machinery if necessary, but for the present we propose to rely on emergency hand-operating gear.

Surgeon Lieut.-Commander Bennett

Is the Minister quite satisfied that the emergency hand-operating gear will be sufficient to stop these magnificent doors becoming a death trap in the case of any disaster?

Mr. Brown

Yes, Sir. I think so.

31. Surgeon Lieut.-Commander Bennett

asked the Minister of Works for what reason it was considered necessary that the gates of the new office block in Whitehall Gardens should comprise 11½ tons of steel and aluminium, as against a specification carried out in lighter and more plentiful materials.

Mr. G. Brown

The panelling of the doors is in aluminium, which is one of the lightest of metals. A steel frame is necessary to give rigidity, and I am advised that any alternative metal would have been scarcer and more expensive.

Surgeon Lieut.-Commander Bennett

Is not this an odd time for the Government to indulge in such prodigality in scarce metals?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Are not these gates very necessary to protect Ministers of the Crown against the rising tide of public indignation?

32. Surgeon Lieut.-Commander Bennett

asked the Minister of Works why he decided to install metal gates at great expense and of great weight for the main entrance of the new Government office block in Whitehall Gardens when gates of oak would have cost a fraction of the price and could be operated manually.

Mr. G. Brown

Oak doors would cost very little less than the steel-framed aluminium doors, and they would be thicker and as heavy. They would, therefore, have been just as difficult to operate manually as metal doors. As it would also be subject to movement through temperature variation the use of timber for doors of this great size would, in any event, be very inadvisable.

Surgeon Lieut.-Commander Bennett

Although undoubtedly it would be cheaper and lighter to have doors which were installed with a central pillar or pillars in order to save the weight on each leaf of the doors does the Minister consider it is necessary to have these terrific doors of this enormous weight which merely act as a sort of grandiose temple of bureaucracy?

Mr. Brown

With great respect, I would point out that none of us is involved in this personally. What is regarded as a fine building has been put up. It has been approved by the Fine Art Commission, and it would be silly to spoil the architectural design in order to get something slightly cheaper in the way of doors.