§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the results of the review of land usage at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich; and whether an additional office building will now be built on the site.
§ Mr. Ian StewartIn order to meet the need for a new headquarters for the quality assurance directorate at the Royal Arsenal (West) and to make the best practicable use of the listed buildings on the site, the Property Services Agency proposed a serious of options, the most attractive of which incorporated a number of listed buildings and promised a measure of public access to see them. Planning has been proceeding on the basis of this option, but progress is subject to the need to take account of a separate proposal to reationalise the procurement executive's quality assurance services, which might affect the requirement for new building at Woolwich. This proposal is currently the subject of consultation with the trade union side, and decisions are expected in the autumn.