Oral Answers to Questions — Northern Ireland Assembly Commission – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:45 pm on 25 June 2024.
2. Mr K Buchanan asked the Assembly Commission for an update on the roof repairs to Parliament Buildings. (AQO 666/22-27)
4. Mr Harvey asked the Assembly Commission for an update on repair work to the roof of Parliament Buildings. (AQO 668/22-27)
With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will group questions 2 and 4. I thank the Members for their questions. The ongoing situation with the roof repairs for Parliament Buildings is an issue that the Assembly Commission has taken extremely seriously and on which it has reviewed updates at its recent meetings. Until recently, the Assembly Commission had refrained from undertaking a full range of remedial works, based on advice that that could prejudice the Commission's legal position. As the Member will be aware, the Commission has issued proceedings against Hamilton Architects and Tracey Brothers for negligence, breach of statutory duty and breach of contract arising from defects to the roof.
The Assembly Commission received advice in February of this year that, due to the ongoing deterioration and associated health and safety concerns, and following the exchange of expert architect and engineer reports with the two defendants, the legal position had changed and that the Assembly Commission could now undertake remedial works to address all the defects. As a result, the Assembly Commission is now moving forward to appoint contractors under a construction and procurement delivery framework in order to undertake immediate health and safety repairs and scope out the full range of remedial repairs that are required. The initial health and safety works will be carried out over the summer. The full remedial works will prevent any further deterioration, address the issues that are related to the damaged stonework and resolve the ongoing issues of water ingress in Parliament Buildings. A detailed plan outlining the timetable for those works will be produced following the scoping work that will be carried out during the summer recess. The Assembly Commission will continue its legal action against Hamilton Architects and Tracey Brothers to recover the full cost of the repairs.
I thank the — I was about to call you Minister, but that would be a bit much. I thank the Member for the answer. Do you have any idea of the cost of the remedial works to make the roof safe?
The current indicative cost for all the necessary remedial works is in the region of £2·4 million. That costing was produced as a result of the ongoing litigation process. Accurate costings will only be available when the scope of and requirements for those works have been finalised and tendered.
Mr Buchanan mentioned the funding, so I will mention the timeline. You mentioned that it will be looked at during the summer recess, which is great. Do you think that the work will be carried out before the winter?
There have been various conversations about the time frame. We are only now in a position to do the scoping work and the full procurement process. We anticipate that the work will start as soon as possible after the summer recess.
I am glad to hear that at least some work is commencing to address the problems. You referred to remedial works and health and safety works. Any of us who travel through the Building will have seen buckets full of water in the middle of corridors, which is not an ideal situation, and water ingress towards the electrics. Staff are having to work under those circumstances. Mr Clarke, has a structural assessment been made of the damage done to the structure of the Building by persistent water ingress?
Various inspections of the Building have been carried out. We will not know the full nature of the damage until some of the areas have been uncovered by stripping back some external materials. I assure Members that the Commission is very exercised about all of that. We would have liked to have moved much quicker, but, following legal advice, we have had to go at this pace to allow both parties from which we are seeking legal redress to respond to each stage.
Question 3 has been withdrawn. Question 4 has been answered.