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Stormont Estate (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

rose to move, That the draft order laid before the House on 23 January be approved. The noble Baroness said: My Lords, the purpose of the order is to remove, in part, the restrictions that prevent the Government selling or disposing of the land and buildings in the Stormont Estate that comprise the 1933 conveyance. The main provision of the order is to empower the Government to dispose of all, or part of, the lands and buildings designated by a statutory rule. This statutory rule, which specifies the part of the estate from which the trust restrictions will be removed, was included in the public consultation and has been made available to Members. The reason for the legislative change is to allow some government office buildings on the Stormont Estate to be included in a private finance initiative contract for the wider government office estate. I would like to point out that the buildings concerned did not exist when the trust was applied in 1933. The PFI contract will be the delivery mechanism for Workplace 2010, which is a major reform programme in Northern Ireland. Much of the office estate, including the buildings at Stormont, is in very poor condition and needs significant investment to bring it up to standard. The programme will address the urgent accommodation problems while creating a unique opportunity to reduce the size of the estate and improve its efficiency. However, I need to make it clear that the Parliament Buildings, Stormont Castle and Stormont House are expressly excluded from the effects of the order. Those historic buildings will therefore continue to be subject to the trust conditions and remain within the public domain. In summary, the order will enable the refurbishment and rationalisation of some very poor office accommodation on the Stormont Estate. I am therefore happy to support it, and I beg to move. Moved, That the draft order laid before the House on 23 January be approved.—(Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton.)