§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who owns Clarence House. [115780]
§ Estelle MorrisClarence House, as part of St James' Palace, is held by the Queen as sovereign on behalf of the nation.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Swansea, West (Mr. Williams) of 16 December 2003,Official Report, column 531W, if she will list the redecoration and refurbishment work at Clarence House, including amounts paid for materials and labour. [115834]
§ Estelle MorrisClarence House has not been subject to substantial refurbishment for 55 years, with most of the expenditure on the residential and office areas being required irrespective of who occupies it.
A works total of £3.2 million excluding VAT is being spent from the grant-in-aid on the redecoration and refurbishment works at Clarence House. These include: 352W
Work carried out Total cost (£ thousand) General builders work 445 Mechanical services and plumbing 428 Electrical services 410 Internal decoration 373 Specialist finished 250 Fire protection 150 Asbestos removal 110 Catering equipment 96 Scaffolding—Internal and external 85 Carpentry 80 Service lift and shaft 72 Removal of redundant services 64 External decoration 60 Window refurbishment 54 Cleaning and repairs 24 Structural steelwork 19 Replacement of roof lights 13 Total of redecoration and refurbishment works 2,733 Construction manager's fees, services and site facilities relating to this work 512 Total 3,245
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Swansea, West (Mr. Williams) of 16 December 2003,Official Report, column 531W, if she will list the items to be moved as part of the spending allocated to Clarence House for removing, storing and reinstating contents. [115835]
§ Estelle MorrisThe entire contents of Clarence House were removed by 19 removal lorries so that building works could take place. The items removed comprised domestic furniture, paintings, drawings and china.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who authorised the refurbishment and redecoration works at Clarence House, and on what date. [115836]
353W
§ Estelle MorrisThe refurbishment of Clarence House has been included for some years in the royal household's five-year maintenance plan approved by the Department. The royal household continues to keep the Department informed regularly of the cost and progress of the refurbishment.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with whom the contents of Clarence House are insured; how much this costs per annum; and whether the cost is met by the civil list. [115837]
§ Estelle MorrisThe Royal Collection insures the items that it owns against damage but not loss. None of the insurance costs for Clarence House were met from the Civil List.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the inhabitants of Clarence House in each year from 1997 to date. [115838]
§ Estelle MorrisHer Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and a number of her personal staff lived in Clarence House between 1997 and Easter 2002. Much of it was used as offices for HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's household. Since that date the House has been unoccupied.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the total rental income received from inhabitants of Clarence House from 1997 to date. [115839]
§ Estelle MorrisThere has been no rental income received from inhabitants of Clarence House.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the sums allocated to professional fees in respect of refurbishment and redecoration of Clarence House have been placed following a process of competitive tendering. [115840]
§ Estelle MorrisAll professional fees over £5,000 in respect of refurbishment and redecoration of Clarence House, which were paid for out of Grant-in-aid, were tendered competitively.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who decides the annual allocation of funds provided through the grant-in-aid. [115779]
§ Estelle MorrisMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State decides on the level of grant-in-aid for the Occupied Royal Palaces as part of the regular spending reviews. Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) are responsible for the maintenance of the Unoccupied Royal Palaces. The HRP receive no grant-in-aid.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the annual sum provided to the grant-in-aid has been in each year from 1979 to date. [115781]
§ Estelle MorrisGrant-in-aid has been paid since 1991 when the Royal Household took over day-to-day responsibility for property services for the occupied royal palaces in England. The figures are as follows:354W
Financial year Annual amount (£ thousand) 1991–92 23,936 1992–93 23,159 1993–94 19,805 1994–95 20,541 1995–96 20,440 1996–97 19,609 1997–98 16,409 1998–99 15,809 1999–2000 15,125 2000–01 15,000 2001–02 15,500 2002–03 15,400 2001–02 and 2002–03 include temporary funding of £500,000 and £400,000 respectively to enable the grant-in-aid to take over financial responsibility for the Court post office's postal and telegraph services.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are in place to ensure moneys allocated to grant-in-aid are spent in an environmentally responsible manner. [115782]
§ Estelle MorrisThe Royal Households, including representatives from The Prince of Wales' and The Duke of Edinburgh's Offices, are members of a working group with representatives from environmental organisations including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, World Wildlife Fund and Forest Stewardship Council. The group looks at the way the Palaces can be more environmentally friendly, and at the Household's environmental policy to promote sustainability, and ensures that appropriate guidance is obtained and followed.
The Royal Household has a policy of using timber from renewable sources for construction work. Other environmentally friendly activities include the construction of combined heat and power units at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle and a borehole for chilling the air-conditioning at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace.