§ Lord Selkirk of Douglasasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the estimated cost of offices for the Members of the Scottish Parliament; and when they are likely to be in a state of readiness. [HL875]
§ Lord SewelThe estimated cost of converting and equipping the Church of Scotland's Assembly Hall and the former City of Edinburgh Council office accommodation in and around The Mound, Edinburgh, to provide a temporary home for the new Scottish Parliament is just over £7.5 million. The accommodation will be ready for use by May of this year.
§ Lord Selkirk of Douglasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the projected plans for building the Scottish Parliament are on schedule and within cost. [HL876]
§ Lord SewelConstruction of the new Parliament building at Holyrood remains on target for completion in the autumn of 2001. The construction cost budget remains at £50 million excluding fees and VAT.
§ Lord Selkirk of Douglasasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the estimated cost of electronic equipment for the Scottish Parliament. [HL877]
§ Lord SewelIt is expected that the cost of providing IT and related equipment for the Scottish Parliament for use at its interim location will be approximately £1.5 million. Telecommunications equipment is60WA estimated to cost approximately £0.5 million. A further £0.25 million is expected to be spent on photocopiers. fax machines and other office equipment. Other electronic equipment will be used to control and operate building systems, electronic voting systems, security systems, sound recording, production of the official report, and televisual production. These costs cannot readily be identified separately. In due course, some further expenditure will be required on electronic systems for Holyrood. A detailed budget has not been agreed; this will fall to the Scottish Parliament to consider.
§ Lord Selkirk of Douglasasked Her Majesty's Government:
When and in what form the proposed Standing Orders for the Scottish Parliament will he made available to the public. [HL878]
§ Lord SewelThe Standing Orders for the Scottish Parliament are being prepared by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland on the basis of the recommendations of the Consultative Steering Group on the Scottish Parliament, whose report was published on 15 January. These transitional Standing Orders will be put in place by order under Section 129 of the Scotland Act 1998.