§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will happen to the accommodation vacated by Ministers and officials in Whitehall Place. [6962]
§ Dr. Jack CunninghamThe accommodation vacated by Ministers and officials in Whitehall Place will be occupied by staff of the Department. Within the next few years the Whitehall Place buildings will need to be vacated for renovation.
§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what date is planned for the move of Ministers and certain officials from Whitehall Place to Nobel House. [6958]
§ Dr. CunninghamThe move of Ministers and officials from Whitehall Place to Nobel House is expected to be completed by 30 November 1997.
§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for how long officials decanted out of Nobel House will remain in temporary accommodation; where is that accommodation; and what is the cost of making it available. [6964]
§ Dr. CunninghamOfficials decanted out of Nobel House are not expected to remain in temporary accommodation beyond 30 June 1998. The temporary accommodation is at St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, London SE1. It is estimated that it will cost £220,000 to prepare it for the Department's occupation. The building is already on the Government estate so there will be no additional rental costs to the Exchequer but the Department will pay an occupancy charge (rent, rates and386W service costs) of £367,000 for the year to the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate, an executive agency of the Cabinet Office.
§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many officials, listed according to function and grade, will be moved out of Nobel House to permit Ministers and other officials to move in. [6963]
§ Mr. CunninghamThe Department's Chief Scientist's Group will be moved out of Nobel House to St. Christopher House. The numbers and grades of officials are as follows:
- Senior Civil Service Grades: 5
- Grade 6: 10
- Grade 7: 16
- SEO and equivalent, and below: 89
§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the functions of his Department which will be located in Nobel House once Ministers and officials have moved there; and if he will list the functions remaining at Whitehall Place. [6954]
§ Dr. CunninghamThe main departmental functions in Nobel House, after Ministers have moved, will comprise the Permanent Secretary; three Heads of Directorate; the Secretariat; Press Branch; Fisheries Group; Environment Group; Establishments Group (part).
The functions which will remain at Whitehall will comprise European Union and Livestock Group; Arable Crops Group (part); Food, Drink and Marketing Policy Group; Legal Department; and Economics and Statistics Group.
§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many officials, listed according to function, will move with Ministers to Nobel House. [6957]
§ Dr. CunninghamThe functions of the Department that will move from Whitehall Place to Nobel House are the Permanent Secretary, three Heads of Directorate, the Secretariat, Press Officials and other support staff. About 76 officials will move.
§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of the move to Nobel House with special reference to reorganisation of rooms, increased security, and new conference facilities. [6966]
§ Dr. CunninghamThe estimated cost of moving Ministers and officials from Whitehall Place to Nobel House is £120,000. Re-organising rooms and providing new and better conference facilities will cost a further £240,000. Expenditure of this order would have been incurred anyway within the next few years when the Department renovated Whitehall Place. It is not anticipated that there would be any additional costs in relation to security provision.