HC Deb 24 March 1970 vol 798 cc373-4W
101. Mr. Blaker

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many extra square feet of completed office space have been acquired by the Government in the years 1965 to 1970; and what was the initial cost in each case and the annual costs in each case thereafter to date.

Mr. John Silkin

The initial costs of Crown buildings are not immediately

ANNUAL INCREASE OF GOVERNMENT OFFICE SPACE AND EXTRA ANNUAL EXPENDITURE
Year Crown Hired Annual Costs (Maintenance, Fuel and Rates) Rent of Hired
Square feet Square feet £ £
1965 881,470 957,579 1,506,348 1,849,084
1966 697,131 1,231,216 1,733,156 1,799,299
1967 -359,134* 932,861 1,163,350 2,338,906
1968 944,155 1,027,981 2,072,013 1,348,929
1969 834,974 1,214,718 1,842,058 3,162,087
Total 2,998,596 5,364,355 8,316,925 10,498,305
* The reduction in Crown area for 1967 is because the areas of Industrial Rehabilitation Units and Government Training Centres (together 1.6m. square feet) were transferred out of the M.P.B.W. office estate.

102. Mr. Scott

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many extra civil servants have been recruited by his Department to administer the extra office space taken over by the Government since 1965; and how much this has cost annually since 1965 to date.

Mr. John Silkin

I regret the information is not available.

103. Mr. Holland

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will list the number of new Government office blocks under construction in 1969–70 and those proposed to be built in the 1970–71 programme; and if he will state the total cost of these projects.

Mr. John Silkin

There were 58 office blocks under construction in 1969–70 and 47 schemes are expected to start in 1970–71. The total cost of these projects is £62,129,000.

available in annual form, but I will write to the hon. Member. The initial costs of hired accommodation comprise the cost of making the building suitable for Government offices. Some of these costs are paid for directly by the Ministry, but others, especially in the provinces, are included in rents. It would be impossible to isolate initial costs for these buildings without undue expenditure of time and effort.

About 8.3 million square feet of extra office space have been acquired in the years 1965 to 1969, the last year for which figures are available. The details—together with those cost figures which are readily available—are as follows: