Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost was of the set-up, trials and tests of the temporary bell striking mechanism in the Elizabeth Tower.

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.