§ Mr. Rhodri MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with CADW in relation to the maintenance cost of the Pierhead building; what conclusions he has drawn as to the amount of useable office and meeting space in the Pierhead building; and what use he proposes to make of that space for Welsh Assembly purposes. [41764]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesNone. A condition survey of the Pierhead building has been completed. Having considered the layout of the building, I propose, subject to further consideration, to use it for offices for the more senior members of the Assembly, the Leaders of each Party, and a number of support staff.
§ Mr. Rhodri MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what costings he has obtained in relation to the deterioration of the foundations of the Pierhead building and the stability of the superstructure at the front end of the building; if the costs of shoring up the foundations are to be carried out by Grosvenor Waterside as a condition of the lease; and over what period of time the work will be carried out. [41768]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesA condition survey has been completed, and I am considering what essential work needs to be undertaken to Pierhead building. The terms of the lease will require that the building, on termination of the lease, will be in no worse a condition that upon commencement.
§ Mr. Rhodri MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) of 5 May 1998,Official Report, column 299, what is the estimated cost of adapting the computer mainframe room to become the temporary debating chamber of the National Assembly. [41772]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesI have not yet decided which part of Crickhowell House should be used for the temporary debating chamber.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the legal obstacles to a system of twinning of constituencies for election to the Welsh Assembly; and what discussions he has had on this matter with the Lord Chancellor. [41755]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesThe Government's view is that the procedure a party adopts for selecting candidates for the National Assembly for Wales is a matter for the party itself. The parties will have to have regard to the framework provided by domestic and European employment law in respect of equality of opportunity for all. The Government's view on this issue was set out by my hon. Friend the Minister for Home Affairs and Devolution in the House on 31 March 1998,Official Report, columns 1144–46.
94W
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimates he has made of the costs of providing temporary accommodation for the Welsh Assembly at(a) City Hall and (b) Crickhowell House. [41891]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesThe estimated cost of capital works to bring City Hall into suitable condition for use as the temporary home for the National Assembly for Wales is at least £3 million.
None of this expenditure would benefit the National Assembly once it moved to its permanent home. There would in addition be removal costs of an estimated £100,000.
The cost of fitting out Crickhowell House as a temporary home is expected to be between £750,000 and £1 million. Members will be in their permanent offices from day one, so there will be no nugatory expenditure on their accommodation. Much of the equipment and furnishings of the temporary chamber will be re-used as part of the permanent arrangements, and the chamber itself will be available for other uses the Assembly decides.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will announce the members of the assessment panel for the design competition for the new National Assembly for Wales building. [41890]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesLord Callaghan will chair the Assessment Panel which will have as lay members Elinor Bennet, Angela Gidden, Mike Reilly and Professor Robin Williams together with two eminent architects nominated by RIBA.
§ Mr. Rhodri MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to permit the successful architect in the RIBA competition for the design of the Welsh Assembly debating chamber to co-ordinate the design with that of the office building on the adjoining part of the Pierhead site. [41766]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesIt is not for me to decide who will design the office building for Grosvenor Waterside but they have indicated a willingness to consider using the same architect as the one who designs the Assembly building, should that be appropriate.