§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the sums tendered for the demolition of each block of flats in the Bogside, Londonderry; when the work began and finished; when the last contract let begins and finishes; what technical standards are required of contractors tendering; if the Housing Executive employed outside consultants and what consultancy fees have been paid or are pending in respect of each stage of the work.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 22 March 1989]: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the chief executive has advised me that the tenders accepted for the demolition of the Rossville flats in Londonderry were as follows:
£ Block 1 128,860 Blocks 2 and 3 297,800 The demolition contract for block 1 commenced on 30 June 1986 and was completed on 10 April 1987. Work on the demolition of blocks 2 and 3 began on 6 February 1989 with an estimated completion period of 30 weeks. All tenderers are required to be on the Housing Executive's register of approved contractors and have specialist insurance.
The executive employed a consultant who received a fee of £14,375 in respect of block 1. The fee to be paid for the demolition of blocks 2 and 3 is estimated at about £23,500.