§ Mr. AllasonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used by the Property Services Agency in selecting new office accommodation; and what factors influenced their decision to select accommodation in Newton Abbot rather than Torquay.
§ Mr. YeoThe Property Services Agency now acts only as the agent of the Department which commission new office accommodation. In the case of a jointly occupied building, this will normally be the Department of the Environment, through its property holdings directorate.
The location of new office accommodation depends on the requirements of the occupying Departments. The proposed new building in Newton Abbott is intended to house three Departments, which each have a specific requirment to serve the Newton Abbott area.