§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimate of the annual loss in revenue to public funds of the 93,933 sq. ft. of office, resi- 626W dential and shop floor space which is currently empty in existing buildings on the site formerly proposed for the new parliamentary building.
§ Mr. ArmstrongThe amount of empty office, residential, and shop floor space on the site formerly proposed for the new parliamentary building is 57,206 sq. ft. Of this total about 16,000 sq. ft. is unusable for structural reasons and a further 3,000 sq. ft. is shortly to be occupied to meet official requirements. Present uncertainties about future parliamentary requirements on the site prevent official occupation or letting of the empty space on other than a short term basis. But for this constraint the rental value of the empty space would be about £140,000 per year.