§ 110. Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Works why, in view of the serious economic situation of the country, two pairs of 20 ft. high gates are being erected for new Government offices at Whitehall Gardens.
§ 112. Mr. Llewellynasked the Minister of Works what is the cost of each of the doors which have been ordered for the two main entrances to the new Government offices in Whitehall Gardens; whether tenders for the construction of these doors were invited; and what quantities and kinds of raw materials will be required for the doors which have been ordered.
§ 119. Mr. Fisherasked the Minister of Works if he will indicate the estimated cost of the Government offices now under construction in Whitehall Gardens and, in particular, the cost of the two doors to the main entrances of these offices.
§ 122. Mr. G. Longdenasked the Minister of Works why it is his intention to spend over £20,000 on the erection of two pairs of 20 ft. high gates which will open automatically at the push of an electric button for the new Government Offices at Whitehall Gardens.
§ 123. Sir Herbert Williamsasked the Minister of Works if he will state the cost of the steel gates to be erected at the entrance to the new Government offices in Whitehall Gardens.
§ Mr. StokesThe estimated cost of the Government offices in Whitehall Gardens as shown in the Civil Estimates is £5,681,700. Two pairs of doors for the two main entrances which are approximately 33 feet wide by 23 feet high were ordered in August, 1949, after competitive tendering, at a price of approximately £13,000 per pair. Each pair weighs approximately 11½ tons, of which 8½ tons is steel and 3 tons aluminium. The architect's original proposal was that the44W doors should be of bronze, but for reasons of economy this was changed to steel and aluminium. The doors are a main architectural feature of the building. They will have to be mechanically operated because of their size.