HC Deb 17 December 1969 vol 793 cc1321-2
1. Mr. Boyden

asked the Minister of Public Bulding and Works why the largest building firm in Bishop Auckland, whose main works is less than one mile from the site of the new Crown Office and which employs mainly local men, was not invited to tender for the construction of the new Bishop Auckland Crown Office.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Public Building and Works (Mr. Charles Loughlin)

The required completion date could be met only by an industrialised system, which local firms could not offer. The national contractor appointed will however employ local labour and local sub-contractors.

Mr. Boyden

Would not it have been better from the point of view of regional employment to go for a conventional brick building perhaps taking slightly longer to build? I assure my hon. Friend that local builders build quickly and very competitively. Can he give some home that at least as much as possible of the sub-contracting work will go to local builders?

Mr. Loughlin

My hon. Friend was one of the hon. Members who pushed us to have the completion advanced, to have the job done as quickly as possible. Of the three large nominated sub-contractors, one for the electrical work and one for the lifts have already been placed with Northern firms. There is another on the ventilation and heating which I think may well go to a northern firm. With only one exception, the other 12 sub-contractors are northern firms.