Draft Sovereign Grant Act 2011 (Change of Percentage) Order 2017

Peter Dowd Excerpts

Thursday 2nd March 2017 General Committees

[Peter Dowd (Bootle) (Lab)]

It is a privilege to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Bone. This matter has been debated on a number of occasions, and people have indicated that they are unhappy that Buckingham Palace has fallen into its current state over the years. That prompts us to ask why that has happened, but we are where we are. The fact that it has not been picked up before now, when perhaps it should have been, is a different kettle of fish. I am sure that those responsible for such matters will give careful consideration to that and ensure that this sort of thing does not happen again.

We cannot periodically push up, from 15% to 25%, the percentage of Crown Estate profits given to the sovereign grant. We have to put in place a coherent, cogent and long-lasting system, so that this type of event does not happen again. I do not want to sound as though I am finger-wagging too much, but we are in an age of austerity. We have to be clear that every penny of public expenditure is appropriately accounted for and that we should not have to spend money in the short term because of long-term decline. Although we are not over the moon at the situation, on this occasion we shall not object to the proposal.