To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost of the conversion of the Church of Scotland assembly hall and nearby City of Edinburgh Council office buildings, for use as a temporary home of the Scottish Parliament, broken down in to costs in respect of (i) VAT, (ii) fees, (iii) furnishings and fittings, (iv) information technology and TV facilities, (v) returning the Assembly Hall to its original state and (vi) compensating the Church of Scotland for disruption and the hire of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre as its meeting place. [77799]

[holding answer 25 March 1999]: The cost of converting the Church of Scotland Assembly Hall and refurbishing the nearby former City of Edinburgh Council buildings to house the Scottish Parliament is estimated to be around £7·62 million in total. Of that figure, some £4·5 million is being spent on the principal works programme, and can be broken down as follows:

• Conversion/refurbishment works £3·3 million
• Fees £0·5 million
• VAT £0·7 million.

The cost of the works carried out to install the infrastructure to support the IT and telecoms networks and the TV production facilities are not separately identifiable, but are included in the conversion/refurbishment figure of £3·3 million given.Fitting out the accommodation is an additional £3·1 million including VAT. The cost of furniture (£0·75 million) and IT equipment (£1·5 million) are included in that figure, and the remainder covers mainly the costs of the provision of telecoms, security systems and office equipment.The Church of Scotland wishes to retain the new layout prepared for the Debating Chamber. Some readjustment works will be necessary, but it is too early to provide an estimate of the likely costs involved.The Church of Scotland has neither sought nor been paid any form of compensation for disruption. The cost of hiring the EICC and related expenditure totals just over £140,000 including VAT.