Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, following the professional and technical advice received by both Houses that a partial decant is both more risky and expensive than a full decant, why a partial decant is still being considered as an option for Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster.

In July 2023 the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Client Board endorsed the R&R Programme Board’s recommended shortlist of R&R delivery options. This included a “full decant” option where both Houses move out of the Palace at the same time (with the Commons prioritised for earlier return) and an option whereby the House of Commons would maintain a “continued presence” in varying locations in the Palace during the works and the House of Lords would move out of the Palace. The Client Board has also requested that a fallback option of enhanced maintenance and improvement forms part of further detailed design work on these options to inform a decision on the preferred way forward in due course, currently expected in 2025.

The Client Board considered it important that more than one option should be subject to further detailed design work and analysis in order to meet the spirit of the new mandate for R&R agreed by both Houses last year and to reflect that members of both Houses have differing views about how the programme can best be delivered.