§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on the progress of the construction of the British Library.
§ Mr. LuceSatisfactory progress on stage 1A of the new British Library, currently under construction at St. Pancras, is being maintained. Stage 1A is on target to be completed in 1993 within the cash target of £300 million which I announced last November. The current position is that, measured in expenditure terms, stage 1A is 24 per cent. complete.
The completion phase is now at the outline sketch design stage and progressing satisfactorily. This final phase of the building is being planned so that the whole new British Library will be complete and fully operational in 1996.