major maintenance, alteration and improvement of the existing buildings, for which the Secretary-General had requested an appropriation of $374,200, should go ahead, and the Advisory Committee had recommended that that appropriation should be approved. As to the preliminary study on the expansion of the conference facilities, his delegation had noted with great concern that paragraph 25 of the report of the Secretary-General referred to "overdue increases in the office space". That reference was not to conference rooms but to offices. Yet the Advisory Committee had clearly stated that the architectural and engineering study should deal only with the expansion of conference facilities. It would also have / ... A/C.5/38/SR.46 English Page 4 (Mr. Gidley, United States) been useful if the Secretary-General had promised to ensure that ESCAP sessions would all take place at headquarters once the Commission's facilities had been expanded. In conclusion, he said that the expansion of the delegate's lounge, dining facilities and parking areas mentioned in the table at the end of paragraph 26 of the report of the Secretary-General would entail prohibitive expense, and he therefore requested that the appropriation of $400,000 for the architectural and engineering study should be put to a vote. 9. Mr. MURRAY (United Kingdom) endorsed the comments of previous speakers and said that the appropriation of $400,000 requested for the architectural and engineering study might be only the first of a number of much larger outlays. He also feared that staffing levels might increase with the space available, thus leading to additional expenditure on staff. His delegation would also like to know the final cost of the construction, and it wondered what rent would be paid by the users of the proposed accommodation, the estimated rental income being relatively small. In conclusion, he noted that there was no guarantee that there would not be 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing administrative and logistical issues related to the maintenance and expansion of a conference facility, including concerns about costs, staffing, and rent. The language used is formal and official, suggesting a United Nations or international organization setting. The discussion revolves around the allocation of funds and resources, which is typical of bureaucratic decision-making processes.

**Category**
Administration, Transport and communication