§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department received the report from KPMG Peat Marwick into spending at Haymes Garth; if he will allow officers named in the report the opportunity to comment on it before its publication; when he expects to publish the report; and what is the estimated cost of conducting the inquiry.
§ Mr. SoamesKPMG Peat Marwick has not yet submitted its final report on Haymes Garth. Draft extracts have been shown to the individuals who were interviewed in the course of the investigation, and the report is now being finalised in the light of their comments. Once the report has been received we shall want to give its findings careful consideration. The latest estimate of the cost of employing KPMG Peat Marwick to undertake this work is around £100,000.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the amount that will have been spent for the recent refurbishment and redecoration of official service residence Haymes Garth in Gloucestershire; who was the officer responsible for overseeing this budget; what is the present valuation of Haymes Garth; and on how many occasions those responsible for the refurbishment and redecoration travelled overseas to discuss details of the changes proposed.
§ Mr. SoamesFinal reconciliation of the full costs of refurbishment and redecoration of Haymes Garth is in hand. Current indicators are that the total will be slightly lower than the figure given in my predecessor's statement on 4 July,Official Report, column 85, but I shall report the final figure to the House as part of the further statement I have promised. In the light of the ongoing study into this particular case it would be inappropriate at this stage to name any individual.
Although informal assessments of the value of Haymes Garth have been made to assist the investigations, there has been no recent full commercial valuation.
The cost of refurbishment and redecoration includes two brief liaison visits to Germany by a contractor.