§ 13. Mr. Liptonasked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many additional square feet of office accommodation have been made available to 1004 civil servants in the London area during the past year.
§ Mr. RipponThe net addition in office accommodation made available in the past year to civil servants in the London area—excluding the Post Office—was about 300,000 sq. ft.
§ Mr. LiptonHow does the right hon. Gentleman square up all these square feet with the Government's alleged policy of reducing the number of civil servants and Government office accommodation in London?
§ Mr. RipponThis is something of a jigsaw. The principal additions this year are 110,000 sq. ft. at Eland House for the Department of Technical Co-operation—which I think the hon. Gentleman has seen—and 175,000 sq. ft. for the Board of Trade in Victoria Street. When the Ministry of Defence completes its move into its new accommodation, we shall give up about 185,000 sq. ft. in Queen Anne's Mansions, and elsewhere. The House will also wish to bear in mind that when we do provide new accommodation for staff, whether it be a new building or merely fresh premises, we try to raise the standard of the accommodation.