§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current number of staff employed by the National Building Agency; how many of them are architects; and what is the current annual administrative cost of the agency, including provision for salaries, pensions and overheads.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe current number of staff employed by the National Building Agency is 252, including 58 151W architects. Estimated administrative costs for 1979–80, which relate to all the agency's fee-earning and grant-in-aid activities, are £1,033,000.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the grant-in-aid actually paid to the National Building Agency in 1978–79; and what is the provision for 1979–80.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe grant-in-aid actually paid to the National Building Agency in 1978–79 was £406,000, the bulk of which related to projects commissioned by this Department, the Scottish Development Department and the Welsh Office. A provision of £479,000 for 1979–80 has been made in the Supply Estimates subject to parliamentary approval. The agency also earned fees totalling nearly £2 million in 1978–79.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will review the provision of grant-in-aid to the National Building Agency so as to replace it by a commercial fee basis for work actually carried out under contract for the Government.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe terms under which grant-in-aid is paid will be kept under regular consideration.