The Humble Petition of residents of London and others,
Declares that cleaners working for the Royal Households in London are paid £6.45 per hour even though the London Living Wage was set at £7.85 until April 2011; declares that cleaners in the House of Commons and House of Lords are paid at the rate of the London living wage; further declares that the Petitioners believe that as £30 million of taxpayer’s money is paid to the Royal family annually for the upkeep of the Royal Households it is clear that the London living wage of £7.85 is affordable.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take all possible steps to encourage the Royal Households to ensure that all cleaners working within the Royal Households are paid the London living wage of £7.85 per hour, a rate that is supported by the Mayor of London.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.,—[Presented by John McDonnell, Official Report, 19 July 2011; Vol. 531, c. 908 .]
[P000947]
Observations from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Treasury:
The Government thank the hon. Member for Belfast South (Dr McDonnell) for his petition on the salaries of the cleaners who work for the Royal Household.
The Government acknowledge the hon. Member’s passion for ensuring that people working in London and elsewhere should be paid a living wage. Indeed he raised the issue for consideration as part of the Committee stage of the Sovereign Grant Bill, which was debated in the House of Commons in July of this year.
The Royal Household employs a contractor to supply cleaning services to the estates in London.
The Government fully support public sector contractors paying their staff fair and decent wages, subject to the constraints of efficiency and value for money for the taxpayer.
The Government take these issues seriously. However, it would be inappropriate for the Government to impose such constraints on specific contractors.