Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much has been spent on traffic marshals in each financial year from 2019-20 to 2022-2023; and what the estimated spend is for financial year 2023-24.

The figures below reflect the spend on traffic marshals for each financial year (April to March) from 2019 to 2024.

The figures include use of traffic marshals to manage the movement of traffic and/or pedestrians (a) in the Palace and along the spine road, (b) in and out of the underground car park, and (c) on laundry road in the Northern Estate. The figures are all excluding VAT.

The figures below do not include costs where it has not been possible to extrapolate the cost of marshal provision from the overall contract for works.

Financial years 2019 to 2023

2019–2020 £176,069

2020–2021 £199,471

2021–2022 £257,534

2022–2023 £598,534

Financial year 2023–2024

The costs for the 2023–2024 financial year are not comparable to the previous years.

Prior to 2023–24 the cost of the traffic marshals for the underground car park, required to facilitate the works in New Palace Yard, was covered by the contractor, as part of the project costs, and not included above. These costs are now covered by the House directly as efficiencies had been identified.

The underground car park requires 24/7 cover due to the closure of one of the ramps into the car park necessary to facilitate the works in the New Palace Yard. The costs include unsociable working hours, bank holidays and weekends.

For the 2023–2024 financial year, the cost for traffic marshals, excluding underground car park marshals, is forecast to be £647,763.

For the same period, the cost for the underground car park marshals is forecast to be £1,271,966.