HC Deb 03 December 1968 vol 774 c1228
23. Mr. Gordon Campbell

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will now make a statement on his policy regarding the recommendations of the Fourth Report of the Estimates Committee of the House of Commons entitled, The Public Building Programme in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Mellish

I would ask the hon. Member to await the publication of the Departmental Observations on the Report.

Mr. Campbell

Is the right hon. Gentleman carrying out a complete reappraisal of the annual accounting procedures for building programmes, as recommended by the Committee in its paragraph 71?

Mr. Mellish

I cannot answer that off the cuff, but I am prepared to write to the hon. Gentleman and give him full details of what my Department is doing in that sphere. The observations to which I referred will be published early in the New Year, because they concern other Government Departments as well, and have far-reaching implications.

Mrs. Ewing

Has the right hon. Gentleman made a start on implementing Recommendation No. 4 of the Report. to the effect that A regular check on the amount of space occupied by the staff of Government departments should be carried out in as many as possible of the larger centres of Government activity outside London"?

Mr. Mellish

Our record of staff dispersal is better than that of any previous Government.