Alan Brown

We are unable to provide the financial information publicly as it is commercially sensitive. For security reasons we do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.

The House service approved the business case for a project to significantly improve Wi-Fi services across the estate in December 2022.

The Wi-Fi project will replace end-of-life hardware and upgrade services, to provide a seamless, simpler and better managed user experience for Members and staff, particularly for personal mobile devices in the form of a new Members and Staff Wi-Fi service and Guest Wi-Fi replacement for Internet Direct. This is supported by additional security and roaming service improvements, while also reducing operational overheads. Cost efficiencies are being gained by delivering this work alongside the Emergency Services Network project.

Improvements will take place across the Parliamentary Estate, prioritising Member facing areas and key areas of procedural and parliamentary business.

A breakdown of the costs per building is listed in the table below:

While Parlimentary Digital Service (PDS) are actively managing WI-FI provisions for all parliamentary buildings, any buildings not listed in the table above do not require the same interventions and as such are outside of the scope of this main Wi-Fi Project, with any issues tackled on a case-by-case basis.

The estimated cost including the whole life cost of the Wi-Fi upgrades being made across the Parliamentary estate by the Network and Wireless Project as of 14 July 2023 is listed in the table attached.

To date the project spend is £4.8m in project delivery (including some PDS costs from FY23/24), operational costs and depreciation. Risk and optimism bias costs are not included as they have not been spent.

The R&R Programme is carrying out tens of thousands of hours of complex building surveys and investigations to develop even more detailed records of the Palace of Westminster. These records are being used to inform design and planning, and future decisions on the essential restoration work required.

Two of the intrusive surveys currently being undertaken, the Building Intrusive Survey and Pull Out Tests, are categorised as Building Survey Works. Third party contractor costs incurred to 31 March 2023 on these surveys are £0.3 million. Third party contractor costs incurred to 31 March 2023 on the ground investigation works are £0.6 million.

These figures do not include Delivery Authority internal staffing costs or the costs of the contractor planning and overseeing the survey programme because those costs cannot be disaggregated by individual survey.

All these surveys are ongoing and spend will continue beyond 1 April 2023.

The R&R Programme is carrying out tens of thousands of hours of complex building surveys and investigations to develop even more detailed records of the Palace of Westminster. These records are being used to inform design and planning, and future decisions on the essential restoration work required.

Two intrusive surveys, the Photogrammetric and Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) surveys, have recently started which contain an element of drone surveys as well as other activities such as high-resolution photography. The total estimated cost of these surveys is £1 million although this covers a number of activities.

Due to how the activity schedules in these contracts are priced it is not possible to disaggregate the costs of the drone flights from the rest of the works being undertaken. However, it is anticipated that a significant portion of the costs will relate to the contractor resource required to deliver the surveys and the processing of the images taken (rather than the cost of the drones themselves).

This figure also does not include Delivery Authority internal staffing costs or the costs of the contractor planning and overseeing the overall survey programme because those costs cannot be disaggregated by individual survey.

The cost of rodent devices cannot be disaggregated from general pest control costs and is delivered on a bicameral basis. Pest control costs for the 2022 financial year are below:

1) Bird control costs vary from year to year as necessity fluctuates depending on the level of pests presenting a risk of damage to stonework.

2) General Controls include the cost of a full-time pest control technician and all traps and baits not covered elsewhere.

This complex project on the 160-year-old tower will involve the full scaffolding of the tower, repairs to the stonework which currently poses a health and safety risk, as well as all other fabric conservation works that can be meaningfully undertaken from a scaffold. Subject to further detailed analysis, it is expected to cost between £170–£250 million. A firm budget within this range will be released for approval in line with the Parliamentary Governance approval process in early 2024.

Costs prior to 2012/13 are not available. The costs from 2012/13–2022/23 are provided as an attachment.

The budget for the refurbishment of Norman Shaw North is £321.9m, with the new glass atrium roof to be added over the courtyard costing £3.6m.

The budget for work in Portcullis House can be broken down as follows:

(a) mechanical and electrical systems

The latest business case for the lifecycle replacement of mechanical and electrical systems within Portcullis House presented a total project cost ranging between £129m and £143m. The project will undertake a series of lifecycle replacement works to mechanical and electrical systems within PCH, including, for example, systems linked to heating, cooling and ventilation. The scope also includes some works related to the Engineering Infrastructure Strategy which will provide benefits to the wider Northern Estate.

(b) the roof

The roof project is at the feasibility stage, investigating the defects within the glazed panel roof and the main roof. Following the investigation, options will be developed to address the findings. The project report is due mid-2023, the costs for these options are not known at this stage.

(c) committee rooms

As part of a larger Committee room project, four rooms in Portcullis House are being upgraded:

(i) Refurbishment of in-room ICT/AV infrastructure and furniture (including adaptations to furniture to accommodate new technology)

(ii) Refurbishment of staff table in the Grimond Room (ICT/AV and other furniture upgraded by previous project)

Grimond Room £5,500

The total budget for Portcullis House is £1,455,000.

(d) AV upgrade

A new bicameral audio-visual/video-conferencing facility is being implemented for all mainstream select committee rooms (the Centralised Video-Conferencing Facility (CVCF)) to provide and manage hybrid committee meetings for broadcast. It is not possible to apportion this cost by room or building. The total budget for this is £1,884,000 across both Houses.

(e) atrium lighting and blinds

25 luminaires within PCH atrium are being replaced with a budget of £57k.

There are no blinds in PCH atrium, however there is a project to replace the motors in the blinds across PCH and the cost for this is £401k.

(f) refurbishment of lifts.

The refurbishment of lifts within Portcullis House is being undertaken in 3 Stages, as part of an estate-wide programme of lift modernisation works.

Three lifts within Portcullis House (HOPs 107, 108 and 161) have been refurbished to date under Stages 1 and 2 of this programme, with a combined total budget of £1.96m.

A further five lifts within Portcullis House (HOPs 101, 102, 105, 106 and 175) are due to be refurbished under Stage 3 of this programme, with an estimated budget of £4.00m subject to final business case approval.

The programme of work was split into three separate projects. Costs to date for the Cast Iron Roofs Programme (C1488 – made up of C2036, C2037, C2038) are as follows:

C2036 £13,926,079 – FINAL
Phase 2 Project 1 – South Return, Lord Speaker’s Towers & Link Roof, River Front South.

C2037 £33,356,338 – FINAL
Phase 2 Project 2 – Roofs around Peers & Commons Inner Courts, River Front Middle, West Vent Tower, River Front Vent Tower.

C2038 £44,755,804 – FORECAST
Phase 2 Project 3 – River Front North, Speaker’s Towers & Link Roof, Star Chamber Court North, St Stephen’s Hall & Porch, West Front Roofs.

Total £92,038,221

Note: Figures include fees and VAT. Also note the figure for C2038 is still at forecast as we have not yet completed on site.

The total cost to date of covid-19 impacts on the project, including the four-month site closure in 2020, investment in covid-19 secure measures and the reduced productivity on site until November 2020, is £5.7m, including VAT. These costs are met from the approved £9m provision, listed in the answer to Question 96953.

This figure has been scrutinised by independent consultants, who are confident in the financial projections that have been developed by teams in the House Service, recognising the exceptionality of the project and its highly specific requirements.

Parliament’s teams have mitigated against the financial impact of coronavirus, working collaboratively and positively with contractors to reduce the impact to the taxpayer, and ensuring that costs paid by Parliament are proportionate to its contractual obligations. The project’s teams continue to meet the challenges posed by this complex conservation and enjoy the support of the leadership of both Houses in their delivery and approach.

The budget for the refurbishment of Elizabeth Tower, most recently approved in early 2020, is £79.7 million.

Since then, further provision of up to £9 million has also been made to cover additional costs relating to the impact of COVID-19, which, as with almost all construction projects across the country, has affected the progress of work.

These costs arise from the four-month site closure in 2020, investment in COVID-secure measures and the necessity of reduced productivity on site until November 2020 – introduced to ensure the safety of the project’s workforce.

This figure has been scrutinised by independent consultants, who are confident in the financial projections that have been developed by teams in the House Service, recognising the exceptionality of the project and its highly specific requirements.

The approximate cost of commissioning, out of hours attendance, set up and testing of the temporary mechanism for all the occasions during the project when Big Ben has sounded is £96,000.

The overall contract value for the project includes all the costs of initial commissioning of the temporary mechanism used for this purpose and testing and operating it on each occasion it has been used since the project started in 2017. The mechanism was used on 10 occasions, with Big Ben also being sounded several times in the run-up to each New Year’s Eve, as well as for testing in advance of each occasion that was marked.

Arrangements for striking Big Ben were coordinated round the planned works so as to minimise the impact on the project costs and to ensure there was no delay to the project. The temporary striking mechanism used during the project will be kept as an integral part of the refurbished clock mechanism’s contingency arrangements.

The Elizabeth Tower and the Great Clock are currently undergoing the most extensive conservation project ever carried out in the 160 years since the bell began to strike. The clock mechanism, which usually powers the hammer that strikes the Great Bell (Big Ben), has been dismantled and removed for refurbishment.

In 2017 the House of Commons Commission decided that during the Elizabeth Tower refurbishment project, Big Ben should only sound for Remembrance Sunday, Armistice Day and New Year's Eve, to allow the project team to schedule works around those occasions. The Commission reconfirmed the decision in 2018.

At COP26, the UK Presidency secured an agreement on the rules, guidance and procedures to implement Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which gives guidance on how countries may choose to cooperate and use carbon markets to help achieve their climate objectives. Other carbon pricing mechanisms, such as carbon taxes, or carbon border adjustment mechanisms were not an agenda item at COP26.

This year the UK launched its own emissions trading scheme (ETS) and will be exploring opportunities for international cooperation. This could include the possibility of linking the UK ETS to similar systems in other countries.

Since 2015 a number of capital works projects have been undertaken within the Palace of Westminster, many of which remain ongoing. The majority of these projects are driven by health and safety, personnel and asset protection, or critical operational need. To provide a comprehensive list would exceed the prohibitive cost threshold for responding to a Parliamentary Question.

The overall funding for capital works is set each year by the Commission through the Medium-Term Investment Plan following advice from the Finance Committee. There is a rigorous process of financial control for all projects, overseen by the House’s Audit Committee, and the progress of all projects is monitored routinely by the Joint Investment Board* and the Finance Committees of both Houses. In addition, there is a regular flow of assurance – monitoring how projects are delivered against time, cost and quality – provided by a variety of external bodies.

*The Joint Investment Board (JIB) is a sub-committee of the House of Commons Executive Board and House of Lords Management Board. For capital works projects, JIB provides prioritisation, scrutiny and assurance, maintaining an overview of the capability and capacity of the project community. The Board escalates any concerns to the Commons Executive Board and the Lords Management Board.

As stated in the answer to question 49191, it is not possible to provide the value of the stonework order until we have completed the business case. Similarly, the extent, locations and timescales of all the repairs will also be determined by the business case. As stated in the last answer, the timescale of this business case is approximately 18 months. The repair work is driven by the need to ensure that health and safety risks are eliminated before they arise. Aside from Cloister Court, key areas identified by initial surveys carried out in 2020 are:

• Westminster Hall (North Elevation)

• The Colonnade, both internally and externally

• Peers Court

• Peers Inner Court

• St Stephen’s Hall

• Star Chamber Court

• Central Spire

A mandate has just been approved for work to be carried out to stonework across the Palace. This work will target areas that cannot wait until the Restoration and Renewal Programme. Cloister Court is one of the key areas it will address. The average timescale for our business cases is 18 months.

We do not have a cost yet, as we are at the early stages of the business case process.

The cost for refurbishment of the trial restoration of the section of cloisters close to St Stephen’s Chapel was £1.4m.

The project is closing now, and the expected cost is £11.8m.

The river terrace stone restoration programme has approved funds of £4.6m.

Summer 2022 is the current date for the completion of the conservation project.

The estimated cost to upgrade the doors of Central Lobby is £3.8m.

The lift programme is split into two phases.

Phase 1: £5.05m will refurbish 11 lifts in the Palace of Westminster that were identified as a priority (forecast completion 2022).

Phase 2: Has an estimated cost of £35.9m. This would refurbish 42 lifts in the Palace of Westminster and 15 lifts on other parts of the Estate. Please note – this is an estimated cost. In addition, it is still to be determined how many of these lifts will be delivered as part of this Programme or delivered as part of R&R.

The programme will deliver a full electrical and mechanical refurbishment to the lifts so that they continue to be safe to use. This will also ensure that they are compliant with current standards and legislation, including fire safety.

The government publishes details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on a quarterly basis. Transparency returns for Cabinet Office Ministers can be found here.

The UNFCCC will publish a list of participants who attended COP26 at the end of the conference. An events programme and list of exhibitors within the UK Government managed Green Zone will be made available to the public in due course.

The government publishes details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on a quarterly basis. Transparency returns for Cabinet Office Ministers can be found here.

The UNFCCC will publish a list of participants who attended COP26 at the end of the conference. An events programme and list of exhibitors within the UK Government managed Green Zone will be made available to the public in due course.

The Commission's reporting on the Scottish Parliamentary election will cover the administration and delivery of the polls, and will be published in the autumn. The Commission will also publish details of campaign spending by political parties at the election, so that voters and other campaigners can see how parties spent their money at this election.

Post-poll reporting and the publication of financial returns comprise of responsibilities given to the Commission by the UK's parliaments. The number of votes recieved by individual political parties is not a factor in this work.

Parties have the option to register descriptions which can appear on the ballot paper. The Commission, as the registrar for political parties, must assess whether a party's description meet requirements set out in law. Where an application to register a description meets the legal requirements, it must be registered.

There is no requirement in law for a party's descriptions to reflect its policies and objectives. As such, this is not a consideration when the Commission assesses an application to register a description, and it is not a basis on which a description could be refused.

The Commission will report formally on the delivery of the polls in the autumn, after the summer recess periods for the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament and Senedd. Reporting will be informed by a detailed process of information gathering and evaluation.

I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The UK Government has committed to supporting its transition to clean energy through the North Sea Transition Deal.

The Deal will focus on the decarbonisation of domestic oil and gas production while using the capabilities of the sector to deliver CCS and Hydrogen production. This will support and sustain new high-quality jobs and anchor the supply chain in the UK.

I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to help promote the UK's clean energy transition. I have met with companies in the renewable energy industry in Scotland to explore how they can support a successful COP26. The Government has a long history of supporting the development and deployment of wave and tidal stream technologies in the UK, including in Scotland. Since 2003 various bodies across Government have provided innovation/R&D funding of £175m to the wave and tidal sectors (almost £80m since 2010).

The Commission assesses whether applications to register a political party, and their indentity marks, meet the criteria set out in electoral law. This includes the requirement to ensure that voters would not likely be confused with already registered parties.

As part of its assessment process, the Commission publishes on its website a list of names, descriptions and emblems under consideration, to invite comments from the public and other parties.

Details were published on the Commission's website on 12 February 2021 of the application by Independent Green Voice to add a new emblem. No concerns were raised, and after a careful assessment process, the Commission authorised the application to register the emblem on 23 March.

The Commission has an ongoing duty to maintain the register of political parties including by reviewing registered indentity marks if relevant considerations change. However, as matters stand it is satisfied that there are clear and sufficent differences between the two parties' registered names, descriptions and emblems to avoid likely voter confusion.

The Commission welcomed the introduction of the new digital imprint requirement for all digital campaign material at the Scottish Parliamentary elections. It provides voters with a better understanding of who is trying to influence them online.

The Commission regulates compliance with the new law by registered parties, and by non-party campaigners who campaign for or against parties. The police are responsible for compliance by candidates, and non-party campaigning for or against candidates.

Ahead of the election, the Commission published guidance for campaigners on what must be included on election material. The Commission monitored compliance with the new regime closely, and will, as part of its post-poll reporting, report on the implemention and regulation of the requirements.

We are tackling methane emissions domestically through supporting the agriculture sector to reduce its emissions further through the Agricultural Transition Plan. Through our COP26 Nature campaign, we are encouraging a global shift towards sustainable agriculture.

In the Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December 2018, we have committed to exploring policies to work towards eliminating all biodegradable waste to landfill by 2030.

The Electoral Commission's role relates only to aspect a) of the question.

On the administration of elections, it will provide the necessary support to the electoral community in responding to any changes made to constituency boundaries by Parliament, to ensure the continued delivery of well-run elections.

The design for Richmond House as a temporary Commons Chamber has been paused. The House of Commons Commission has taken the decision to use Richmond House as temporary accommodation for Members and their staff.

Strategic steers have been provided to the Sponsor Body by the management boards at the beginning of lockdown around longer-term work that may be required. These made reference to future coronavirus outbreaks or similar events, but further work is still required. The strategic review is seeking to validate the underlying assumptions.

This government is committed to tackling the abhorrent practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK.

Our action will be determined by research to look at how best to define conversion therapy, where it is happening and who it is happening to.

When that is complete, we will bring forward proposals to ban conversion therapy, making sure that our measures are effective, so that innocent people no longer have to endure these vile practices.

Following a competitive tendering exercise, the Government Equalities Office has commissioned Coventry University to undertake initial research that sets out the scope of practices, where it is happening and how it affects those who have experienced it. The aims and objectives of this research, alongside it’s methodology, are included in the report, which will be published in due course.

Officials are also reviewing the legislative framework to establish the scope of conversion therapy practices that are not already unlawful. Where these dangerous practices are not already unlawful, we are examining the best ways to prevent them being conducted, without sending them underground. We will engage a wide range of stakeholders on these practices and any potential measures.

This government is committed to tackling the abhorrent practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK.

Our action will be determined by research to look at how best to define conversion therapy, where it is happening and who it is happening to.

When that is complete, we will bring forward proposals to ban conversion therapy, making sure that our measures are effective, so that innocent people no longer have to endure these vile practices.

Following a competitive tendering exercise, the Government Equalities Office has commissioned Coventry University to undertake initial research that sets out the scope of practices, where it is happening and how it affects those who have experienced it. The aims and objectives of this research, alongside it’s methodology, are included in the report, which will be published in due course.

Officials are also reviewing the legislative framework to establish the scope of conversion therapy practices that are not already unlawful. Where these dangerous practices are not already unlawful, we are examining the best ways to prevent them being conducted, without sending them underground. We will engage a wide range of stakeholders on these practices and any potential measures.

This government is committed to tackling the abhorrent practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK.

Our action will be determined by research to look at how best to define conversion therapy, where it is happening and who it is happening to.

When that is complete, we will bring forward proposals to ban conversion therapy, making sure that our measures are effective, so that innocent people no longer have to endure these vile practices.

Following a competitive tendering exercise, the Government Equalities Office has commissioned Coventry University to undertake initial research that sets out the scope of practices, where it is happening and how it affects those who have experienced it. The aims and objectives of this research, alongside it’s methodology, are included in the report, which will be published in due course.

Officials are also reviewing the legislative framework to establish the scope of conversion therapy practices that are not already unlawful. Where these dangerous practices are not already unlawful, we are examining the best ways to prevent them being conducted, without sending them underground. We will engage a wide range of stakeholders on these practices and any potential measures.

This government is committed to tackling the abhorrent practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK.

Our action will be determined by research to look at how best to define conversion therapy, where it is happening and who it is happening to.

When that is complete, we will bring forward proposals to ban conversion therapy, making sure that our measures are effective, so that innocent people no longer have to endure these vile practices.

Following a competitive tendering exercise, the Government Equalities Office has commissioned Coventry University to undertake initial research that sets out the scope of practices, where it is happening and how it affects those who have experienced it. The aims and objectives of this research, alongside it’s methodology, are included in the report, which will be published in due course.

Officials are also reviewing the legislative framework to establish the scope of conversion therapy practices that are not already unlawful. Where these dangerous practices are not already unlawful, we are examining the best ways to prevent them being conducted, without sending them underground. We will engage a wide range of stakeholders on these practices and any potential measures.

In December the House of Lords passed a motion that its size ought to be reduced. The Bishop of Birmingham, who is Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, supported that motion and has since made a submission to the Committee set up by the Lord Speaker to look at options for reducing the size. Its report is awaited.

For many years now the public responses of the Church to proposals for Lords reform have highlighted the problem of the Second Chamber being too large and have called for action to address it.

The Department recognises the potential for storage to help us use energy more flexibly and decarbonise our energy system cost effectively, alongside interconnection and demand-side response (DSR). As such, DECC is investigating the potential barriers to the deployment of energy storage. We are carefully considering possible mitigating actions, focussing in the first instance on removing regulatory barriers to energy storage. The re-classification of energy storage is one of the options we are considering. We plan to conduct a consultation and call for evidence in due course.

This is disappointing news for the MAHLE workforce and their families. Economic development is devolved to the Scottish Government and as such I am not in a position to comment on their response to this announcement. This Government stands ready to work with the Scottish Government if needed but I note that they are already working with the company over how they might tailor their PACE support programme (their equivalent to our Rapid Response Service) to help those facing redundancy.