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1584728

registered interest
date	06/02/2023
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 1 February (HL4851), who he consulted when preparing his answer; and what oversight mechanisms exist to scrutinise the design and cost of security projects for the House of Lords.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL5454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2023 answer text <p>The Parliamentary Security Department and Strategic Estates teams were consulted when preparing the answer to HL4851, along with House of Lords Administration officials.<br></p><p>The design and cost of security projects for Parliament go through rigorous internal scrutiny. The Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House, as Accounting and Corporate Officers, have responsibility for approving final business cases for security projects across the Parliamentary Estate, subject to advice from the Finance Directors and other relevant officials.<br></p><p>The Clerk of the Parliaments’ decisions on security projects are informed by consultation with the House of Lords Commission, which ensures that the impact on Members is taken into account, and by the Finance Committee which receives regular reports regarding security expenditure. There is also significant oversight by the Finance Director. The Clerk of the House is informed by the equivalent groups and individuals in the House of Commons. Ultimately it is not the House that makes the final decision because security is a bicameral issue, and legal responsibility for safety sits with the Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House.<br></p><p>Governance of the Security Programme for Parliament is provided by the Quarterly Review Group (QRG). Membership includes the Clerk of the House of Commons and Clerk of the Parliaments, the Finance Directors of both Houses, the Chief Operating Officer of the House of Lords and DG Operations of the House of Commons, and a non-executive external advisor (the Director of Property for the Royal Household).<br></p><p>The Parliamentary Security Department and Strategic Estates also consult external experts, including the Metropolitan Police Service, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, and Historic England to inform the Security Programme.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/02/2023 11:56:46 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1583967

registered interest
date	03/02/2023
answering body	Restoration and Renewal Client Board
answering dept id	213
answering dept short name	Restoration and Renewal Client Board
answering dept sort name	Restoration and Renewal Client Board
hansard heading	Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the total expenditure on Restoration and Renewal to date; and whether he can provide a breakdown on how it has been allocated.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL5392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2023 answer text <p>The Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body and Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority were established in April and May 2020 respectively. From their establishment until the end of March 2022, those bodies spent £216.5m on the Restoration and Renewal Programme (this includes £5m of costs in April 2020 before the Delivery Authority was formally incorporated). A breakdown is provided in the table below.</p><p>The total forecast spend for the current financial year (2022-23) is £80m for the Delivery Authority and £7m for the Sponsor Body/R&amp;R Client Team (the Client Team having taken over the sponsor function for the programme from the Sponsor Body on 1 January 2023).</p><p>Both the Sponsor Body and Delivery Authority routinely published information on costs, for instance in quarterly reports, annual reports, and memoranda provided to the Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission. This transparency will continue under the R&amp;R Client Team.</p><p><strong>Expenditure on the Restoration and Renewal Programme</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><br> <strong>Spend area</strong></p></td><td><p><br> <strong>Total spend in 2020-21 and 2021-22 (£m)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Sponsor Body costs</p></td><td><p><br> 26.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Palace of Westminster Design</p></td><td><p><br> 56.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> House of Lords Decant</p></td><td><p><br> 9.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Heritage Collections Decant</p></td><td><p><br> 2.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Programme Management</p></td><td><p><br> 40.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Delivery Authority Corporate Functions</p></td><td><p><br> 23.2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Data and Digital</p></td><td><p><br> 55.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Non-cash adjustments and central provisions</p></td><td><p><br> 2.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><br> Total</p></td><td><p><br> 216.5</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>These figures do not include House of Lords staff costs or costs of parliamentary scrutiny of R&amp;R through committees or in the House.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 13/02/2023 16:48:57 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1583969

registered interest
date	03/02/2023
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	House of Lords: Security
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many firms were invited to tender for the new front door at Peers Entrance.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL5393
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2023 answer text <p>Three contractors were given the opportunity to be issued an invitation to tender for the replacement front door at Peers’ Entrance. Two contractors confirmed they wanted to bid for the works and were issued an invitation to tender. Both contractors submitted tenders which were evaluated by an evaluation panel and the highest scoring contractor was awarded the contract.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/02/2023 12:35:34 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1569094

registered interest
date	20/01/2023
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	House of Lords: Security
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the (1) current, and (2) planned, expenditure on security for the House of Lords; and what is the governance process to ensure value for the taxpayer.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL4934
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2023 answer text <p>Costs for security are split between the House of Commons and House of Lords in accordance with an agreed ratio of 70:30. However, physical and operational security measures across Parliament benefit all users of the estate regardless of which House they are based in, so it would not be possible to determine the cost of security by House.</p><p>The House of Lords’ portion of security operating costs is published in the House of Lords Annual Report and Accounts; in 2021-22 this amounted to £18.26m. For security reasons the Houses do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.</p><p>The governance process for expenditure on security includes regular reports to the Finance Committees of both Houses, and oversight by the Clerks and Finance Directors of both Houses.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 01/02/2023 15:34:00 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1568377

registered interest
date	18/01/2023
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what recent estimate he has made of the cost of replacing the door at Peers Entrance; and how this differs from the original estimate.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL4851
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2023 answer text <p>The cost of works to replace the door at Peers’ Entrance has increased due to delays caused by issues unearthed during initial surveys and other works taking place in the nearby area. Increases were also caused by inflation, which meant tender returns came back higher than estimated.</p><p>For security reasons, the Houses do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 01/02/2023 15:11:09 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1470880

registered interest
date	15/06/2022
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	House of Lords: Standing Orders
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 14 June (HL810), whether he will place a marked up copy of the new Companion to the Standing Orders in the Library of the House highlighting the changes proposed to date since the last edition.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>Following the debate on Thursday 16 June I approved the publication of the complete draft text of the new edition of the Companion to the Standing Orders. This can be viewed at <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/house-of-lords-publications/rules-and-guides-for-business/companion-to-the-standing-orders/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/house-of-lords-publications/rules-and-guides-for-business/companion-to-the-standing-orders/</a>. I have also instructed staff to place copies of all papers considered by the Procedure and Privileges Committee while preparing the latest edition in the Library of the House.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 20/06/2022 16:54:50 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1469186

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Parliamentary Procedure
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he plans to publish the marked-up text showing the proposed changes to the Companion to Standing Orders from the 2017 version; and whether he plans to consult peers prior to printing the new version.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL810
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2022 answer text <p>The new edition of the Companion to the Standing Orders will, like all previous editions since the Procedure Committee was first appointed in 1940, be issued under the authority of that Committee. In line with longstanding practice, the members of the Procedure and Privileges Committee have been briefed on all the changes contained in the latest edition, and no changes of substance have been or will be made unless they have been agreed by the House as a whole.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/06/2022 16:08:18 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1359028

registered interest
date	14/10/2021
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Lord Speaker: Staff
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many staff are employed in support of the Lord Speaker; their costs in each of the last three years; the budget for staff employed to support the Lord Speaker in the next financial year; and of the existing staff, how many are required to support the Commission.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL3097
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>In January 2021 the Commission published the report of the independent External Management Review. One of the specific recommendations of that Review was that a small secretariat should be appointed to provide dedicated support to the Commission. In response to this recommendation, at its meeting on 10 February 2021, the Commission agreed that new secretariat posts should be created as soon as possible.</p><p>Accordingly, two new post-holders have now been recruited to provide support for the whole Commission. These two postholders are not part of the Lord Speaker’s Office but, as the Lord Speaker is Chair of the Commission, they are now physically co-located with the Lord Speaker’s Office in order to enable effective communication and information sharing. The Secretary to the Commission ensures that the Commission receives the information and support they need to take effective strategic decisions and meet their objectives. This includes, but is not limited to, briefing the Chair, liaising between Commission members and senior staff, drafting papers, following up issues after meetings, assisting with Commission communications, overseeing the arrangements for meetings and line managing the Executive Officer to the Commission. The Executive Officer to the Commission provides the administrative support to the Commission. This includes, but is not limited to, organising the administrative arrangements for meetings, circulating papers, maintaining internet and intranet pages, managing Commission records, helping with Commission communications, and liaising with staff involved with Commission meetings.</p><p>The staff count for the Lord Speaker’s Office is 4.8 full-time equivalent posts: a Private Secretary, Assistant Private Secretary, Diary Manager, Events and Outreach Officer, and an Executive Officer. Due to vacancies not all of these posts are currently filled. An internal staffing review of the Office is currently taking place.</p><p>Other staff are also co-located with the Lord Speaker’s Office, including a member of the Communications team who provides communications support to the Lord Speaker and Commission, and a member of staff who forms the International Relations team. They are not part of the Lord Speaker’s Office.</p><p>In the last three financial years, the actual staffing costs for the Lord Speaker’s Office were:</p><p>2018-19: £200,654</p><p>2019-20: £182,904</p><p>2020-21: £205,692</p><p>The forecast outturn for staffing for the Lord Speaker’s Private Office for the current financial year (2021-22) is £227,262, prior to any agreed pay award.</p><p>The draft budget for 2022-23 is £310,430. This larger figure assumes a full complement in every post for the full financial year, which has not always been the case in preceding financial years. These figures include the costs of salaries as well as other on-costs such as pension and National Insurance contributions.</p><p>These figures do not include the costs of the two members of staff who support the Commission. As outlined above, these posts are not part of the Lord Speaker’s Office, although they are co-located with the staff of the office.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble grouped question UIN HL3098 question first answered 28/10/2021 16:33:05 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1359029

registered interest
date	14/10/2021
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Lord Speaker: Staff
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why it was necessary to extend the staff accommodation in support of the Lord Speaker; how many extra staff are involved; and what are their duties.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL3098
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>In January 2021 the Commission published the report of the independent External Management Review. One of the specific recommendations of that Review was that a small secretariat should be appointed to provide dedicated support to the Commission. In response to this recommendation, at its meeting on 10 February 2021, the Commission agreed that new secretariat posts should be created as soon as possible.</p><p>Accordingly, two new post-holders have now been recruited to provide support for the whole Commission. These two postholders are not part of the Lord Speaker’s Office but, as the Lord Speaker is Chair of the Commission, they are now physically co-located with the Lord Speaker’s Office in order to enable effective communication and information sharing. The Secretary to the Commission ensures that the Commission receives the information and support they need to take effective strategic decisions and meet their objectives. This includes, but is not limited to, briefing the Chair, liaising between Commission members and senior staff, drafting papers, following up issues after meetings, assisting with Commission communications, overseeing the arrangements for meetings and line managing the Executive Officer to the Commission. The Executive Officer to the Commission provides the administrative support to the Commission. This includes, but is not limited to, organising the administrative arrangements for meetings, circulating papers, maintaining internet and intranet pages, managing Commission records, helping with Commission communications, and liaising with staff involved with Commission meetings.</p><p>The staff count for the Lord Speaker’s Office is 4.8 full-time equivalent posts: a Private Secretary, Assistant Private Secretary, Diary Manager, Events and Outreach Officer, and an Executive Officer. Due to vacancies not all of these posts are currently filled. An internal staffing review of the Office is currently taking place.</p><p>Other staff are also co-located with the Lord Speaker’s Office, including a member of the Communications team who provides communications support to the Lord Speaker and Commission, and a member of staff who forms the International Relations team. They are not part of the Lord Speaker’s Office.</p><p>In the last three financial years, the actual staffing costs for the Lord Speaker’s Office were:</p><p>2018-19: £200,654</p><p>2019-20: £182,904</p><p>2020-21: £205,692</p><p>The forecast outturn for staffing for the Lord Speaker’s Private Office for the current financial year (2021-22) is £227,262, prior to any agreed pay award.</p><p>The draft budget for 2022-23 is £310,430. This larger figure assumes a full complement in every post for the full financial year, which has not always been the case in preceding financial years. These figures include the costs of salaries as well as other on-costs such as pension and National Insurance contributions.</p><p>These figures do not include the costs of the two members of staff who support the Commission. As outlined above, these posts are not part of the Lord Speaker’s Office, although they are co-located with the staff of the office.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble grouped question UIN HL3097 question first answered 28/10/2021 16:33:05 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1358385

registered interest
date	04/10/2021
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	House of Lords Chamber
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2734), what is the cost of Table Clerks' full uniform; and what cost estimates were obtained from alternative uniform suppliers.
tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
uin	HL2835
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2021 answer text <p>While there is no standard cost for a Table Clerks’ full uniform as this depends on a number of variables, including the supplier used and the items required, purchases of full new uniforms in recent years were in the range of approximately £4,700 - £5,700 per person. Incidental repairs and additional items may also be required over the years as uniforms are worn.</p><p>Estimates for the full uniform were not obtained when the six new gowns were purchased in June 2020 for the additional Table Clerks joining the rota. This was partly because of the known costs from when these had been purchased previously, partly because of the potentially temporary nature of the new Table Clerks’ appointments, and partly because of the impracticality of sending staff to be personally measured for new fitted uniforms during the COVID pandemic when social distancing was still in operation.</p><p>Given the need to get new Table Clerks on the rota quickly, the decision was taken by the then Clerk of the Parliaments to purchase solicitors gowns instead of the full uniform. The total cost of these six gowns was £1,213.99, but due to an outstanding credit with the supplier the House actually paid £536 in total for the six gowns.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/10/2021 15:33:31 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean