Question

To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker what and where was the source of the fire that required parliamentary business to be suspended and the House of Lords to be evacuated on 2 July.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The evacuation was a pre-planned fire evacuation exercise. The drill had been approved by the relevant senior stakeholders, including the Lord Speaker, the Clerk of the Parliaments, Black Rod's Department and the party Chief Whips. The Services Committee had not been informed of the drill in advance, but had supported the initiative in previous discussions.