asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have reached a decision not to site the Northern Ireland Record Office in either the old Crumlin Road Jail or the Court House; and, if so, when the decision was taken and for what reason. [HL3413]

Yes. A decision not to site the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in the Crumlin Road gaol was taken in November 2005 for technical and cost reasons. Subsequent to this, in March 2007, a decision was taken by Maria Eagle MP, Minister for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, not to site the new accommodation for PRONI on the Crumlin Road gaol site as it did not meet the critical business needs and urgent timeline for PRONI's accommodation. The Crumlin Road courthouse was not considered on its own as a site for PRONI. In the 1990s it had been considered in combination with the gaol as a possible location for PRONI but this did not proceed beyond preliminary investigations.