$80M on Red House restoration so far

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has spent about $80 million on a project to restore the Red House since 2003 and the job is not yet finished. The building is the seat of the country's Parliament.

The project has been under the supervision of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT).

Work began after then Prime Minister Patrick Manning decided that his office would be in the Red House and the Parliament would be relocated.

On Tuesday officials met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate to review the state of the project and learned about the cost so far.

UDeCOTT had given a contract to a Canadian firm to renovate and refurbish the southern and mid-section of the Red House to prepare it for the office of the Prime Minister.

However the plan has now changed because the new government under Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has reversed Manning's plan and has stated that the Red House will remain the seat of Parliament.