Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason the renovation of the British residence in Washington DC has exceeded its contractual completion date; when the renovation of that embassy is expected to be completed; and what steps she is taking to ensure the timely completion of those renovations.

The contract for all works was signed in February 2020; the original Residence renovation as part of the main contract was due to be completed in February 2022, and the overall project by April 2022. The current contractual completion date is July 2022. Reasons for the delay have included - but are not limited to - absorbing the direct impact of COVID 19, and its related indirect impact on supply chain, logistics, changing construction market conditions, discovery of unknown asbestos and continued failing infrastructure/pipework. For commercially sensitive reasons we cannot give more information at the present time.

The entire project is meant to be concluded in summer 2022. Installing the interior furnishings in the Residence will take some weeks beyond that.

We are committed to completing the renovation of the Lutyens Washington Residence, one of the Government's most outstanding and prestigious overseas assets, in a timely manner and to a high-quality. The supply chain problems have eased and additional design resource has been provided to keep up the pace of the project. We are managing the companies involved closely to ensure that pace is maintained and there is an effective response to any new challenges.