§ Dr. Strossasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will state the total expenditure incurred in preserving the Nash houses in Regent's Park; and if he will give also, in as much detail as possible, how the money was spent, with special reference to preservation of the structure of the houses rather than to fittings for office use.
§ Mr. R. A. Butler£1,620,958 was spent by the Ministry of Works on the 212 houses which they took over in 1945 for use as temporary Government offices. Of this about three-quarters was attributable to structural repair and redecoration, including the repair of war damage, and the remaining quarter to the adaptations necessary to make them suitable for office use. In addition, since 1942 the Crown Estate Commissioners have spent approximately £820,000 on the preservation of the Regent's Park houses (an equivalent of just over £100 per house per annum) made up as follows:
£ (1)Special repairs to protect exterior of houses 590,000 (2)Restoration of external architecture of main terraces 55,000 (3)Structural repair and partial modernisation for reletting houses for residential use 175,000 Total £820,000