§ 2.42 p.m.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government when and to what place is the General Register Office to be moved from Somerset House.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT (LORD SANDFORD)My Lords, it is planned that the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, of which the Registrar General's Department is now a part, will move into St. Catherine's House, at 138 Kingsway, W.C.2, in the summer of next year.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, may I ask him whether he can please give an assurance that this Department will not be moved out to the suburbs and that Kingsway will be its permanent home? Secondly, may I ask whether the service will remain as good and will not suffer by the move?
§ LORD SANDFORDYes, my Lords. This address, as noble Lords will realise, is but a few minutes away from Somerset House and one of the benefits of this move is that the search facilities will be very much more spacious, modern and convenient.
§ LORD STRABOLGIMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether the Government can give any further news about the proposal to use some of the rooms of Somerset House as an art gallery to house part of the national art collection?
§ LORD SANDFORDNo, my Lords. I cannot go any further on that point. Perhaps if a little later the noble Lord could have a word with me we might be able to make some further announcement. But I cannot do so at this stage.
§ LORD BERNSTEINMy Lords, does the supplementary question from the noble Lord, Lord Teviot, indicate that there is some objection to moving buildings to the suburbs of London?
§ LORD SANDFORDNo, my Lords. I do not think my noble friend was suggesting that we should move any buildings, though my Department has some expertise in this field. I imagine that the object of my noble friend's question was to seek from me an assurance, which I am glad to give, that for the convenience of those who wish to attend on the Registrar-General for certificates and for search facilities the office should be in Central London, and it will be.
§ LORD MAYBRAY-KINGMy Lords, now that there is to be vacant space at Somerset House, may I ask the noble Lord whether he will ask the Government to reconsider the request of King's College, London, that they, an expanding college, be allowed to take over the East Wing of Somerset House?
§ LORD SANDFORDYes, my Lords. I will make quite sure that that factor is considered at the same time as the future of the fine rooms.
§ LORD DAVIES OF LEEKMy Lords, in this world which is now very passionately fond of moving buildings and pressing buttons, will the noble Lord take the human side and let the servants of Somerset House and those who have worked there for many years know that some of us appreciate very much the care 325 which some of them take to give us information?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I am most grateful for those remarks and I will take steps to make sure that they go to where they will be noted.
VISCOUNT MONCKMy Lords, will my noble friend make his first answer completely satisfactory by adding the postal code? I was sorry he stopped at W.C.2.
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I am grateful for that correction.