£57m Supreme Court set up was ‘under budget’

The final set up costs of the UK Supreme Court were £1.3m below the estimate, according to this Commons written answer.

The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Jack Straw): The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom came into being on 1 October 2009 and was delivered on time and within budget by the Ministry of Justice. I promised to keep the House informed of the final costs of the Supreme Court Implementation Programme, and I am therefore pleased to announce that the implementation costs of £57.6 million are £1.3 million below the estimated set-up figure of £58.9 million that was announced in Parliament on 3 July 2008.

This figure is made up of £33.7 million for capital construction using a lease and leaseback arrangement over 30 years, £19.4 million of other set-up costs (including library costs, visitor facilities programme team costs, furniture, IT services) and £1.5 million for additional repairs to Middlesex Guildhall. In addition the figure also includes the £3.0 million cost of the external security works, in line with the Whitehall Streetscape Programme, which was not included in the previously announced estimated figure of £58.9m.

The establishment of the Supreme Court represents a major milestone in the Government’s constitutional reform agenda. It has given greater clarity to our constitutional arrangements, achieving a clear and physical separation of the judiciary from the legislature and the executive and improving the visibility of and accessibility to the highest court in the UK.

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