To ask the Minister for the Arts what progress has been made on the British Library; when he expects work on it to be completed and at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Construction on the first phase of the building is proceeding within its budget of £300 million and a schedule which will enable the British Library to start moving books into St. Pancras by mid-1991. The first phase is planned to be fully operational by mid-1993.The completion phase upon which I will shortly be making a separate announcement is scheduled to be opened to the public in 1996.