§ Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Further to the Written Answer on 18 June (WA72), what is their estimate of the public expenditure needed to create a supreme court building, whether by renovating an existing building, such as Somerset House, or by erecting a new building. [HL4840]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)Since the Government have not yet been persuaded of the case for creating a new supreme court, no estimate of the potential cost of providing a building, whether the building was newly built, or a refurbished or existing property, or a leased property, to accommodate such an institution has been made.
An estimate of the potential cost of a new building for the Appellate Committee would require a detailed investigation of the requirements, but it is clear that a new building, of high architectural merit, in the heart of London, would be very costly. The Government's priority has to be the modernisation of the criminal, civil and family courts to improve the delivery of court services across the country as a whole.