§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the arrangement originally entered into by the Welsh Office for the lease of Crickhowell House, Cardiff, were in line with Treasury rules for the leasing of such property; what study was undertaken of comparable buildings in the area; and what rents were sought for leases of such alternative options. [65282]
§ Mr. MichaelA copy of the option appraisal prepared by Welsh Health Common Services Authority (WHCSA) in respect of moving to new accommodation on a single site was submitted by the Department to Treasury for approval on 17 May 1991. Treasury advised that there were no objections to the proposed option provided that the Department's Accounting Officer was satisfied that taking into account all elements of the appraisal, financial and non-financial, the option represented the best value for money.
Eight developers with 11 sites were approached in January 1991 and seven of these made outline proposals. Refinements of the brief and the proposals led to a short list of three by June 1991. Of the three proposals, one was eliminated for financial reasons, and 2 were broadly similar. Having taken independent legal and property advice and having considered rents and other financial aspects, WHCSA's Board recommended the Grovesnor Waterside bid for providing leased accommodation at Crickhowell House.
I have asked the Chief Executive of WHCSA to send the right hon. Member a copy of the post project evaluation report prepared by the Authority.