FOI 68-25 Information regarding the cost of the refurbishment of the canteen at Parliament Buildings

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our Ref: FOI 68-25

4 December 2025

Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 2 October 2025 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). In your request, you asked:

I am writing to request, under FOI:

1. The total cost of the refurbishment of the canteen at Parliament Buildings.
2. A breakdown of spending (e.g. construction, furnishings, catering equipment, design, consultancy fees, etc) for the project.
3. The start and completion dates of the refurbishment project.

Our response

Question 1

The Blue Flax Restaurant is the most popular dining facility by people in Parliament Buildings, with approximately 72,000 transactions recorded in 2024 alone. It is used by MLAs, their staff, Assembly staff, civil servants, media, and members of the public visiting to meet with their elected representatives.

The restaurant received a minor refresh in 2008, but has not been updated substantially since 1998. During those 27 years, working and eating habits have changed significantly, with people wanting more flexible and informal options, reflecting more collaborative and ‘away from desk’ working. This agility will be important as the Assembly embarks on a busy legislative period in the second half of its current mandate, with more late evening sittings anticipated, whilst maintaining value for money through more cashless and self-serve options.

Our new engagement strategy aims to increase understanding and enable participation in the work of the Assembly, including bringing more people to Parliament Buildings. This requires us to maximise the use of our space and having modern, fit for purpose facilities is an important part of that.

To date, the cost of the refurbishment of the Blue Flax is £505,278.

A small number of final elements are still to be addressed.  These costs are estimated to be in the region of £20,000 and will be finalised when the project is closed in the next few weeks.

Question 2

The refurbishment costs to date are broken down as follows:

*The Refurbishment included Preliminaries, Alterations, Partitions, Ceilings, Doors, Floor Finishes, Decoration, Joinery, Furniture, Whitegoods, Soft Furnishing, Light Fixtures, Mechanical & Electrical Installations and Builders Work.

Question 3

The initial design meeting for the Blue Flax refurbishment project took place in March 2023. Following its closure on Friday 4 July 2025 to allow for construction work, the Blue Flax reopened on Monday 8 September 2025. As noted in the response to Question 1, the project has not yet been closed, as final elements are still being addressed and implemented.

Further information

You have the right to request an internal review of this decision by the Assembly Commission. If you wish to request such a review, please write to me at the above address. If, after that review, you are dissatisfied with the way in which the Assembly Commission has handled your request for information, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Your request for information and our response may be published in the disclosure log maintained by the Assembly Commission under a publication scheme agreed with the ICO. The request and our response will be anonymised. 

Yours sincerely

INFORMATION STANDARDS