§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Minister for the Arts what financial assistance he is providing to the British library(a) to help it relocate 300 staff from London to Yorkshire and (b) to purchase new buildings at Boston Spa.
§ Mr. Luce[holding answer 1 March 1990]: Relocation of staff from London to Yorkshire is part of the library's requirement for its future operations and is based on best value for money. The costs would normally be found from the library's grant-in-aid. Exceptionally, because the move will bring significant savings in long-term running costs, the Government are prepared in principle to allow the British library to retain up to half the receipts from the sale 583W of the building which it currently occupies at Store street in London as a contribution to the costs of constructing a new building at Boston Spa in Yorkshire and the relocation of staff.
This is subject to a satisfactory proposal for major expenditure commitments being presented by the board for my approval in the normal way.
§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Minister for the Arts what he estimates will be the costs of rehousing 300 British library staff from London to Boston Spa in(a) capital, for purchasing or existing buildings and (b) personnel costs in relocation allowances.
§ Mr. Luce[holding answer 1 March 1990]: Building costs at Boston Spa are estimated by the British library to be in the range of £2.5 million to £5 million. Final figures will depend on the construction strategy chosen by the library after further investigation. Personnel costs in relocation allowances are estimated to be £1 million.