HL Deb 16 February 1960 vol 221 cc3-4

2.39 p.m.

LORD STONHAM

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, to facilitate an accurate assessment of the practical nature of alternative proposals, they will publish, at a reasonable interval prior to the public inquiry, a statement showing the cost of the scheme to rebuild Dartmoor Prison, and if they will include in this the annual cost of maintenance of the existing prison and its ancillary buildings, the cost of building a new prison adjacent to the present one, the capital value (excluding the prison) of buildings such as staff accommodation constructed in connection with Dartmoor Prison, showing the method of valuation and the amounts allowed for annual depreciation, and the cost of rebuilding and subsequent maintenance of the prison outside the Dartmoor National Park.]

EARL BATHURST

My Lords, a statement will be made available before the inquiry which will include, among other things, an estimate of the cost of replacing the existing buildings and services in Princetown connected with the prison. It is not at present possible to estimate the cost of replacing the prison itself, whether at Princetown or elsewhere.

LORD STONHAM

My Lords, may I ask the noble Earl whether he is aware that his reply will give considerable satisfaction to the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and other amenity societies who are vitally interested to see that the right decision, both on economic and on amenity grounds, is arrived at in this matter? But can he say whether it is not in fact the case that the answers to all the questions that I have put will have to be found by the Government before a decision is arrived at, and would it not be better to see that those answers are made available to everybody concerned at the inquiry?

EARL BATHURST

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for the first part of his remarks, but I do want to make it clear that this inquiry is not meant to be a financial inquiry. It is purely to ascertain the views of the interests concerned as to whether the prison should be built at Princetown or elsewhere.