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Welsh Office

Answer

Mr. Rhodri Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 March 1998, Official Report, column 733, on civil servants, what is the grade of the civil servant who was involved in both the acquisition of the lease on Crickhowell House and in the siting of the National Assembly; and if he will indicate how much of that civil servant's time was spent on the siting of the National Assembly compared to the other civil servants involved in the exercise. [36795] Mr. Ron Davies: One Grade 7 Civil Servant has had some involvement with both matters. Together with more senior officials, he was involved in the process of acquiring the lease of Crickhowell House, particularly in respect of assessing the proposal submitted to the Welsh Office by the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, and advising Ministers upon it. Decisions on such issues are made by Ministers, not Civil Servants. He did not play any part in the direct lease negotiations. This official, and a number of others, have spent most of their time recently dealing with issues related to the provision of accommodation for the Assembly.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

36795; 309 c398W

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Central government Buildings Civil servants Land Leasehold Legislatures National Assembly for Wales Offices Welsh Office Welsh Health Common Services Authority