The new parliament house should finally be ready for use early next year, and the old parliament compound will then be returned to the Bureau of the Royal Household, the president of the National Legislative Assembly said on Wednesday.
After inspecting progress on the new riverside complex in Kiakkai area of Bangkok, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said the work was 50% complete.
The current parliament compound on Uthong Nai Road would be returned to the Bureau of the Royal Household, probably in February when the general election is planned. The building is within the grounds of Dusit Palace.
Mr Pornpetch said he would order the construction of the main chambers and necessary offices to support the move to the new building be accelerated. He also planned to seek additional budget funding from the government to cover the cost of information and audiovisual systems that had been excluded from the construction contract due to past budgetary constraints.
"I plan the return (of the old parliament) in early 2019. If things go as planned, the newly elected House of Representatives will meet here," Mr Pornpetch said, speaking at the construction site.
The 300-seat senate chamber would be completed by the end of the year and the 800-seat chamber of representatives would be finished by March next year. "I will have it completed sooner," Mr Pornpetch said.
Sorasak Pienvej, secretary-general of the House of Representatives, said the structure of the new parliament was 98% completed, but interior decorations and architectural work were only 20% done.
Some parliament officials would move into the new parliament building before the end of this year.
An additional budget of 8 billion baht would be needed for the information and audiovisual systems, Mr Sorasak said.
Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Plc was contracted in 2013 to build the new parliament complex beside the Chao Phraya River at a cost of 12 billion baht.
The original completion date was November 2015. The project suffered repeated delays, with several excuses given. These included the need to clear other building and people from the 123-rai site on Kiakkai Road, and the sale of soil dug from there to allow its construction.