§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what areas of the Palace of Westminster remain to be cleaned and repaired; what is his estimate of the cost of this work; when he expects the work to be done; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeThe repair, restoration and cleaning of the stonework of the Palace of Westminster is being carried out in a number of phases. The current phase, covering the Central Lobby tower, is scheduled for completion towards the end of this year.
The only sections of the external elevations then remaining to be tackled will be the Victoria tower and the south elevation, overlooking the Victoria tower gardens. These together will form the next phase of the programme. Work is scheduled to start early in 1990 and will take about two and a half years to complete. The cost is estimated at between £7 million-£8.5 million.
The final stage will be the repair, restoration and cleaning of the stonework in the inner courtyards. A preliminary estimate made last year indicated that the cost would exceed £15 million.