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1350987

	registered interest
	date	18/08/2021
	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	Big Ben: 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, what recent estimate the Commission has made of the date of completion of the refurbishment of the Elizabeth Tower.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	40982
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>Summer 2022 is the current date for the completion of the conservation project.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 10/09/2021 15:35:48 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1399317

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	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	Big Ben: 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, what the latest estimate is of the cost of the Elizabeth Tower refurbishment.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	96953
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2022 answer text <p>The budget for the refurbishment of Elizabeth Tower, most recently approved in early 2020, is £79.7 million.</p><p>Since then, further provision of up to £9 million has also been made to cover additional costs relating to the impact of COVID-19, which, as with almost all construction projects across the country, has affected the progress of work.</p><p>These costs arise from the four-month site closure in 2020, investment in COVID-secure measures and the necessity of reduced productivity on site until November 2020 – introduced to ensure the safety of the project’s workforce.</p><p>This figure has been scrutinised by independent consultants, who are confident in the financial projections that have been developed by teams in the House Service, recognising the exceptionality of the project and its highly specific requirements.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 11/01/2022 13:34:54 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1399318

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	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	Big Ben: 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, what the cost was of the set-up, trials and tests of the temporary bell striking mechanism in the Elizabeth Tower.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	96954
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2022 answer text <p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 12/01/2022 23:15:16 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1402204

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2022
	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	Big Ben: 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, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2022 to Question 96953 on Big Ben: Repairs and Maintenance, what the estimated additional cost is for (a) the four-month site closure in 2020, (b) investment in covid-19 secure measures and (c) the reduced productivity on site until November 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	102681
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2022 answer text <p>The total cost to date of covid-19 impacts on the project, including the four-month site closure in 2020, investment in covid-19 secure measures and the reduced productivity on site until November 2020, is £5.7m, including VAT. These costs are met from the approved £9m provision, listed in the answer to <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-01-04/96953" target="_blank">Question 96953</a>.</p><p>This figure has been scrutinised by independent consultants, who are confident in the financial projections that have been developed by teams in the House Service, recognising the exceptionality of the project and its highly specific requirements.</p><p>Parliament’s teams have mitigated against the financial impact of coronavirus, working collaboratively and positively with contractors to reduce the impact to the taxpayer, and ensuring that costs paid by Parliament are proportionate to its contractual obligations. The project’s teams continue to meet the challenges posed by this complex conservation and enjoy the support of the leadership of both Houses in their delivery and approach.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 21/01/2022 16:36:40 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown