HC Deb 15 March 1965 vol 708 cc861-3
6. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works which members of the Government have, or are to have, official residences to what extent such residences have increased or decreased and what work has now been done on Admiralty House.

Mr. C. Pannell

Official residences are now occupied by the Prime Minister, the First Secretary of State, the Lord Chancellor, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Foreign Secretary. The number of official residences is the same as on 15th October last. The engineering and other services at Admiralty House are being overhauled and modernised and repairs and redecorations are being carried out.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

What are the Government's intentions for Admiralty House?

Mr. Pannell

I could not answer that in anticipation of the finishing of the decorations. [Laughter.] The work at Admiralty House includes essential long deferred structural work and it is likely to cost about £100,000 in all [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]

Sir Knox Cunningham

Would the right hon. Gentleman do his best to see that Admiralty House is retained as residential accommodation and not let his stern and stubborn pride turn it into merely Government offices?

Mr. Pannell

The hon. and learned Gentleman enjoyed the privilege of being inside the building when he was P.P.S. to a previous Prime Minister. He therefore speaks with an intimacy of the building, of which I have no knowledge at all. I do not want to anticipate what is going to be done with the place, except to say that any assumption of superiority on the part of hon. Gentlemen opposite—that we are not as discriminating and tasteful in the use of historic accommodation as they—would be impertinent, would it not?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Surely the right hon. Gentleman is not taking part in these quite expensive redecorations without having some idea as to what the ultimate use of Admiralty House is going to be? Will he give an assurance that this is still intended to be a Ministerial residence? Can he also tell the House whether he has consulted any of his colleagues as to their taste in decoration?

Mr. Pannell

No, but let us get this perfectly straight. We are carrying on decorations which were started by the right hon. Gentleman's Administration. As in many other spheres, we must complete the job even though we inherited a deficit. When the work on Admiralty House has been completed at the end of the year the upper floors will be available again as an official residence, as under the previous Government. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has not yet decided who will occupy this residence. The ground floor of Admiralty House will be available for Government hospitality.

Mr. Shinwell

Can my right hon. Friend explain why it should cost £100,000 to put this place in order? Is it because the previous occupant made such a mess of it?

Mr. Pannell

I cannot answer for that, except to say that in 13 years most things concerned with the economy fell into disrepair and decay.