§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Minister for the Arts what is the capital cost of the new British Library at St. Pancras; and what proportion of the total spending by his Department the new British Library has represented in each year, including 1987–88, since its inception.
§ Mr. LuceThe estimated cost of that stage of the new British library building at St. Pancras which has been approved and is currently being constructed is £242.5 million at second quarter 1987 prices. Expenditure on this project has been from the votes of the Property Services Agency.
As a proportion of the total central Government arts budget, expenditure on this project is as follows :
Per cent. 1982–83 1.7 1983–84 2.2 1984–85 2.3 1985–86 2.4 1986–87 3.3 1987–881 6.9 1 Estimate. Note: Earlier years: less than 1 per cent.
§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Minister for the Arts if he will list the grants made by him to the existing British Library at Bloomsbury in each year from 1979–80 to 1987–88; and if he will break the figures down into their revenue and capital components.
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§ Mr. LuceGrant-in-aid for the British Library from 1979–80 to 1987–88 is as follows:
£000 1979–80 32,052 1980–81 35,397 1981–82 38,463 1982–83 42,950 1983–84 44,843 1984–85 46,850 1985–86 48,254 1986–87 49,800 1987–88 51,000 Grant-in-aid covers all the British Library's functions and activities at Bloomsbury and elsewhere, excluding expenditure on the new building at St. Pancras. Details of the breakdown of expenditure are published in the British Library's annual reports, copies of which are available in the Library.