§ Mr. WyattTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the difference was between the amount the Estates Department in Croydon gave on the value of the Consul General's apartment in New York and the amount it was sold for. [120282]
§ Mr. Rammell[holding answer 19 June 2003]: The decision in principle to replace the Consul General's previous residence with a more modern apartment was taken in July 2001. At that time the valuation of the property was US$15 million, although brokers advised that a price of US$17 million was a possibility.
We concluded negotiations for the new residence in November 2001. Advice from brokers before the former residence went on the market in January 2002 provided sale price estimates ranging between US$15.5 and US$20 million.
I am withholding details of the provisionally agreed sale price for the former residence, under exemption 7 (a) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, as the information is commercially sensitive. Once the sale is completed, I will be in a position to answer as to the sale price.
§ Mr. WyattTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department received for the sale of the Consul General's apartment in New York. [120283]
§ Mr. Rammell[holding answer 19 June 2003]: A sale has been agreed subject to contract and subject also to the approval of the purchaser by the managing board of the cooperative of apartment owners in the block. I am 475W withholding details of the provisionally agreed price under exemption 7 (a) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, as the matter is commercially sensitive. Once the sale is completed, I will be in a position to answer as to the sale price.