AN MP has pledged to investigate the "staggering" £28.3 million bill to the taxpayer for the eco-friendly refurbishment of a Government office complex in York.

Ryedale Tory MP John Greenway said he would table a Parliamentary Question about the cost of the revamp at Defra's two offices at Kings Pool, off Peasholme Green.

He said he might also ask a relevant Commons committee to look into the bill, which was revealed in The Press yesterday following a visit to the offices by the Secretary of State Hilary Benn.

We reported how the buildings, which were constructed in 1994, were undergoing a massive revamp that would make them more "sustainable," with features installed such as solar thermal hot water and rainwater harvesting. The work will save 15 tons of carbon a year, equivalent to the typical emissions of nine UK houses.

Mr Benn defended the expenditure, saying it was essential measures were taken to reduce carbon emissions if climate change was to be tackled and the planet protected.

But when told by The Press of the £28.3 million bill for the project, Mr Greenway said: "It's a staggering sum of money. I will ask a Parliamentary Question about this, and may ask the relevant committee to look into it."

He said he wanted to get the cost figure on the record and obtain an explanation about what the money had been spent on.

Selby's Labour MP John Grogan said the figure "seems to be on the high side to me, particularly as the new Selby War Memorial Hospital is costing only half of that."

He added that Defra had a responsibility to be environmentally friendly but also to spend taxpayers' money wisely.

York MP Hugh Bayley said he was "not in a position" to comment on the expenditure, but said it was right for the Government to ensure that its buildings were environmentally friendly.

He said he would have been critical had there been a "cheap refurbishment with old technology, bad for the environment".

He added that the Kings Pool complex had played its part in attracting extra civil service jobs to the area.