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1464391

registered interest
date	19/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	House of Commons Library
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the potential disadvantages of taking steps to decolonise the Library of the House of Commons.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	5518
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>The Commission has not carried out an assessment of potential disadvantages of taking steps to decolonise the Library of the House of Commons. It notes that the Library has been undertaking work to review and increase the diversity of its collection since August 2020 and that while it has engaged in knowledge exchange with institutions in the academic sector that are seeking to decolonise their curricula and library collections, it has not adopted this as an approach to its own work.</p><p>The Commission has not carried out an assessment of the potential impact of decolonisation of the Library on the representation of Parliament’s history. However, it understands that the Library’s work on the diversity of its collection is guided by the framework set out in its Collection Development Policy which identifies the criteria used for acquisition, retention and deselection of material. The purpose of the work is to ensure the collection contains a wide range of perspectives which are representative of Britain past and present. It has not changed the core focus of the collection on Parliament and devolved legislatures, the history of UK and Ireland, politics and government or its commitment to curate this as an enduring collection of national importance. It also has a clear commitment to impartiality in its work.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker grouped question UIN 5519 question first answered 26/05/2022 16:31:36 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1464393

registered interest
date	19/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	House of Commons Library
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the potential impact of the decolonisation of the House of Commons Library on the representation of Parliament's history.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	5519
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>The Commission has not carried out an assessment of potential disadvantages of taking steps to decolonise the Library of the House of Commons. It notes that the Library has been undertaking work to review and increase the diversity of its collection since August 2020 and that while it has engaged in knowledge exchange with institutions in the academic sector that are seeking to decolonise their curricula and library collections, it has not adopted this as an approach to its own work.</p><p>The Commission has not carried out an assessment of the potential impact of decolonisation of the Library on the representation of Parliament’s history. However, it understands that the Library’s work on the diversity of its collection is guided by the framework set out in its Collection Development Policy which identifies the criteria used for acquisition, retention and deselection of material. The purpose of the work is to ensure the collection contains a wide range of perspectives which are representative of Britain past and present. It has not changed the core focus of the collection on Parliament and devolved legislatures, the history of UK and Ireland, politics and government or its commitment to curate this as an enduring collection of national importance. It also has a clear commitment to impartiality in its work.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker grouped question UIN 5518 question first answered 26/05/2022 16:31:36 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1463982

registered interest
date	18/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	House of Commons Library
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the potential merits of taking steps to decolonise the Library of the House of Commons.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	4720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>The Commission has not made any assessment of the work the House of Commons Library has been undertaking to review and increase the diversity of its collection.</p><p>The Library reports that this work has been underway since August 2020 and involves activities intended to ensure the collection contains a wide range of perspectives which are representative of Britain past and present. These include updating acquisition and deselection policies to include equality, diversity and inclusion considerations; changing practice to widen the range of publishers and institutions from which material is selected; acquiring material to increase coverage of issues relating to racism; modernising the language and concepts used in the Library’s classification scheme; and providing training for Library and committee staff on increasing the diversity of the sources used in research.</p><p>The process has involved exchanging experience with universities engaged in decolonising their curricula and collections. However, this is not an approach which the House of Commons Library has adopted: the Library is actively increasing the diversity of its collection rather than decolonising it.</p><p>The focus of the Library’s collection policy remains to build and maintain a specialist collection on Parliament and devolved legislatures, the history of UK and Ireland, and politics and government to support the work of Members, Library research teams and the House Service. It has developed a clear statement on its commitment to impartiality and the provision of a wide range of perspectives as part of this.</p><p>The Commission has no plans to take steps in response to the Library’s work in this area.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker grouped question UIN 4721 question first answered 26/05/2022 16:26:11 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1463983

registered interest
date	18/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	House of Commons Library
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission plans to take steps in response to discussions on the potential merits of decolonising the House of Commons Library.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	4721
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>The Commission has not made any assessment of the work the House of Commons Library has been undertaking to review and increase the diversity of its collection.</p><p>The Library reports that this work has been underway since August 2020 and involves activities intended to ensure the collection contains a wide range of perspectives which are representative of Britain past and present. These include updating acquisition and deselection policies to include equality, diversity and inclusion considerations; changing practice to widen the range of publishers and institutions from which material is selected; acquiring material to increase coverage of issues relating to racism; modernising the language and concepts used in the Library’s classification scheme; and providing training for Library and committee staff on increasing the diversity of the sources used in research.</p><p>The process has involved exchanging experience with universities engaged in decolonising their curricula and collections. However, this is not an approach which the House of Commons Library has adopted: the Library is actively increasing the diversity of its collection rather than decolonising it.</p><p>The focus of the Library’s collection policy remains to build and maintain a specialist collection on Parliament and devolved legislatures, the history of UK and Ireland, and politics and government to support the work of Members, Library research teams and the House Service. It has developed a clear statement on its commitment to impartiality and the provision of a wide range of perspectives as part of this.</p><p>The Commission has no plans to take steps in response to the Library’s work in this area.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker grouped question UIN 4720 question first answered 26/05/2022 16:26:11 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1463616

registered interest
date	17/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an assessment of the number of surveys planned during the (a) Summer and (b) Conference recesses in connection with maintenance work on the Palace of Westminster.
tabling member constituency	South Northamptonshire
tabling member printed	Andrea Leadsom
uin	3579
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2022 answer text <p>There is planned activity for over 23 projects in the Palace of Westminster during the Summer recess, and there will also be planned maintenance and reactive maintenance work. Many activities will continue in the Conference recess.</p><p>Teams will carry out surveys prior to and during the Summer and Conference recesses; surveys are required before any work can commence.</p><p>Surveys will range from visual checking of spaces (for example, identifying cable routes, or taking audits of equipment/assets) to more intrusive work, such as digging as part of ground investigations, or putting up scaffold to conduct a stonework survey.</p><p>Survey work for the recesses is still being finalised, and individual projects might identify the need for more surveys after work commences. For this reason, it would be difficult to put a figure on the number of surveys in the Palace over the Summer and Conference recesses, but it is likely to be over a hundred.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 23/05/2022 18:38:17 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom

1463017

registered interest
date	16/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make a statement on the new short-term task brief agreed by the Restoration and Renewal Sponsor Body and Delivery Authority; and what steps have been agreed to be taken in order to prepare for the future transition of the programme to a new operating framework.
tabling member constituency	South Northamptonshire
tabling member printed	Andrea Leadsom
uin	2476
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>Under the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019, it is for the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body to task the Delivery Authority.</p><p>Following the meetings of the two Houses’ Commissions in February, the Sponsor Body provided the Delivery Authority with new instructions in the form of a Task Brief which embodies the relevant decisions of the Commissions. The Task Brief addressed: stopping or completing activities that were no longer relevant; continuing activities that would be relevant for any future programme of works; and continuing necessary corporate functions.</p><p>The Delivery Authority continues to undertake or has commenced other work including essential surveys and gathering of information about the condition of the Palace.</p><p>Work is continuing, at the direction of the Commissions, on preparing for changes to the Restoration and Renewal Programme. As noted in the Commissions’ joint statement of 18 March 2022, an independent panel of experts has been convened at the request of the Commissions to provide advice on changes to the sponsorship function and assurance on a new approach to the works. The panel’s work will inform the Commissions’ deliberations and the recommendations which they will propose to the two Houses on a revised mandate for the works and changes to the sponsorship function. This is currently planned to take place before the summer recess. Any changes will ultimately be a matter for the two Houses.</p><p>An R&amp;R transition programme which brings together officials from the two Houses, the Sponsor Body and the Delivery Authority has been established to support the Commissions in their work.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 19/05/2022 14:45:34 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom

1462602

registered interest
date	12/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	Members: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps are being taken by the Commission to ensure that Members and their staff are not (a) harassed, (b) obstructed, (c) shouted at, or (d) intimidated by professional agitators in the proximity of the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Lichfield
tabling member printed	Michael Fabricant
uin	1084
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2022 answer text <p>The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is working with the Parliamentary Security Department to identify Members and staff who have reported the behaviour. This includes identifying those who are able and willing to provide a signed statement which with a statutory declaration can be used for criminal justice purposes. Officers are assessing each occasion that we are aware of, taking into account behaviour; the current law; and the latest guidance on protest from case law. This has taken time. Some witnesses do not want to give statements or are unwilling to go to court; without such testimony it makes any legal action very unlikely. In addition, some behaviour does not constitute a criminal offence when viewed in isolation; without witness statements, building a persuasive case around persistent behaviour is very difficult.</p><p>The Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation (PLaIT) are considering all options once they have identified what statements can be obtained, and assessing the evidence provided against the relevant legislation. PLaIT will work in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who are the ultimate decision maker on whether to prosecute and what for. It is worth noting that hearsay evidence is inadmissible in court, therefore statements need to be gathered from the principal witness, which outline the impact and can be tested in court. Even if a police officer witnessed the event, there would still need to be a victim statement which evidences the offences and impact.</p><p>There is a long history of protest outside Parliament and a number of pieces of statute legislation have been put in place to moderate protest activity. Article 9, 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998 gives the freedom of thought, expression and assembly/association, and these rights mean that protest legislation remains one of the most contested in the courts; the resulting case law provides an ever changing interpretation of the laws. Therefore the use of legislation, especially new legislation, which interferes in the rights to protest needs to be carefully considered, be proportionate and likely to succeed.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 17/05/2022 16:38:14 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	280 label Biography information for Michael Fabricant

1462610

registered interest
date	12/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	Opening of Parliament: Costs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost to the House administration has been in (a) preparing and conducting the State Opening of Parliament and (b) providing officials with ceremonial garments for the State Opening of Parliament in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	1111
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2022 answer text <p>The main costs incurred for State Opening relate to maintenance works to support areas such as broadcasting and digital, as well as the installation works for the Royal Gallery, Robing Room, House of Lords Chamber and other areas. Costs are incurred for labour, both directly employed and specialist contractors, as well as transportation for items held in storage off site and the works required to the security barriers around St Stephens entrance.</p><p>Costs are split between the House of Commons, who pay 60%, and the House of Lords, who pay 40%. The table shows the House of Commons share for the last five years. Data for May 2022 is not yet available. In 2018 and 2020 there was no State Opening, while there were two in 2019.</p><p /> <p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><em>£, House of Commons share</em></p></td><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>2021</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Staff salaries</p></td><td><p>25,216</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>33,516</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>18,740</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other staff costs</p></td><td><p>224</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>309</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Direct works</p></td><td><p>125,545</p></td><td><p>4,374</p></td><td><p>320,090</p></td><td><p>-594</p></td><td><p>107,628</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other</p></td><td><p>10,341</p></td><td><p>11,050</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>10,622</p></td><td><p>10,710</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total (House of Commons)</p></td><td><p>161,326</p></td><td><p>15,424</p></td><td><p>353,606</p></td><td><p>10,028</p></td><td><p>137,387</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br>Other minor identifiable costs for the House of Commons not related to maintenance for State Opening in 2022 are shown in the table below.</p><p /> <p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Security pass provision (Commons share of 70%): £2,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>British Sign Language provision and audio description: £1,400</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br>Ceremonial dress is purchased for roles in the House of Commons when needed during the year or when postholders change. Data on ceremonial uniform costs cannot be separated from other uniform spending.</p><p /> <p>Chamber related teams, including Clerks, the Speaker and their office, the Serjeant and their team of doorkeepers, require uniform supplies throughout the year. Total uniform expenditure for these functions over the last five years is shown below. Most of this spend relates to uniform for day to day use during the normal business of the House as well as supporting events and work outside the Chamber.</p><p /> <p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2021/22</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Uniform expenditure (Clerks, Speaker team, Serjeant team)</p></td><td><p>£17,824</p></td><td><p>£13,403</p></td><td><p>£25,607</p></td><td><p>£25,197</p></td><td><p>£23,285</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>This answer does not represent the full cost of State Opening, or costs directly incurred by the House of Lords. Costs will also have been incurred by other bodies, which may include Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Household.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 20/05/2022 12:32:46 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker previous answer version 816 answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1462667

registered interest
date	12/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	All-party Parliamentary Groups: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure that all-party Parliamentary groups disclose their financial accounts on request in the event that those accounts are not publicly available online.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	1243
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>An APPG which has received over £12,500 from outside Parliament, in money or in kind, in its reporting year is required to complete an income and expenditure statement (paragraph 28 of the APPG Rules). That income and expenditure statement must be either published on the APPG’s website or provided on request (paragraph 21 of the APPG Rules).</p><p>The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards (OPCS) does not actively monitor APPGs’ compliance with this requirement. However, the OPCS will investigate any complaints made about the non-disclosure of income and expenditure statements.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 19/05/2022 13:30:44 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1462098

registered interest
date	11/05/2022
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	Richmond House
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the potential merits of increasing external access to Richmond House.
tabling member constituency	Lichfield
tabling member printed	Michael Fabricant
uin	585
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2022 answer text <p>The Commission has not made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing external access to Richmond House and there are no plans to open the entrance into Richmond House from Whitehall. The House of Commons Commission’s decision to house Members and their staff in Richmond House was for three years from summer 2021, and the scope of this light refresh did not include opening up this entrance.</p><p>In order to open up access there would be a need for intrusive infrastructure works. There would also be an increase in operational costs as the entrance would need to be manned by Met Police. Any opening up of the Whitehall entrance would need to be evaluated against the decision of the Commission (for the three-year period) and other necessary changes to provide adequate physical security arrangements for passholders entering and exiting the building at this location would also be required.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 18/05/2022 14:30:05 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
tabling member	280 label Biography information for Michael Fabricant