To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what area of office space his Department and its agencies used in central London in (a) 2004 and (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement. (112186)

The Department for Work and Pensions does not own any land or property as DWP has an outsourced estate via a PFI contract known as PRIME. The majority of the DWP estate has been sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Land Securities Trillium. The proceeds were released to HM Treasury in April 1998 (for the original DSS estate) and further in December 2003 when PRIME was expanded to include the former ES estate.

While DWP does not own any land/property the Department does occupy a number of buildings in Central London :

(a) During 2004 the NIA (net internal area) occupied was 75,688 sq m

(b) By December 2006 the NIA occupied was 66,068 sq m.