§ Sir Donald Kaberryasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made to date on the construction of the revised phase I of the rebuilding of the general infirmary at Leeds; what is the anticipated commissioning date; how much has been spent to the latest convenient date; what is the final 652W estimated expenditure; and if he will make a statement about the delays involved.
§ Dr. VaughanAccording to the latest information available to the Department, the contract is running about 23 weeks behind schedule, due mainly to difficulties in overcoming labour shortages. It is not possible at this stage of the development to forecast when the building is likely to be commissioned. I regret that I have no up-to-date information about the size of interim payments, but the total cost of the scheme, including fees, equipment and increases in the cost of labour and materials is currently estimated to be of the order of £23 million.