HL Deb 04 April 1985 vol 462 cc428-9WA
Lord Brougham and Vaux

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When work is scheduled to be completed and the scaffolding removed from the Clock Tower and the river front; and when work is likely to start and be completed on the Victoria Tower and what other plans there are for cleaning and restoring the inner courtyards of the Palace of Westminster.

The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Elton)

Removal of the scaffolding around the Clock Tower is planned to begin in May and all work should be complete by September 1985.

On the river front, further scaffolding has yet to be erected. Dismantling should start at the north end in July 1985 and will continue in stages until the autumn of 1986, when work is expected to be complete on the whole of that facade. The timing of the remaining work has yet to be decided, in consultation with the authorities of both Houses. If progress is maintained at the present rate, the whole scheme could be complete by about 1990.