Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission had made of the reliability of the House of Commons Polycom telephone system; what procedures are in place to ensure faults are rectified speedily; and if he will make a statement.

Between August and December there have been four major incidents relating to the desk telephones provided in Members’ offices.

Work-arounds were deployed where possible; two incidents remain outstanding and are expected to be resolved in December 2022.

The response and resolution of these incidents was protracted due to the complexity of the underlying software and existing telephony infrastructure.

Earlier this year a Voice Programme was established to address the need for improvements to voice services for Members and Peers. This will be targeted to improve the user experience and reduce the risk of disruption to parliamentary services.