HC Deb 24 July 1970 vol 804 cc242-3W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give the date when it became a requirement of the job that Ministers should occupy Ministerial residences; and to what extent this requirement is being carried out at the present.

Mr. David Howell

No. 10 Downing Street became the official residence of the Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury in 1735, Admiralty House has been an official residence—originally occupied by the First Lord of the Admiralty—since its construction in 1788, and—while comparable historical records do not exist—No. 11 Downing Street has been occupied by the Chancellor of the Exchequer since at least the middle of the last century. Other Ministerial residences are of later date. The allocation of residences to Ministers is a matter for the Prime Minister the following Ministers have been allocated official residences:

  • Prime Minister.
  • Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary.
  • Home Secretary.

No. 11 Downing Street is currently vacant following the death of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In addition the Lord Chancellor has a flat in the Palace of Westminster in his capacity as Speaker of the House of Lords and the Secretary of State for Scotland has a residence in Edinburgh which was provided by a trust established by a number of prominent Scots.