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1343873

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2021
	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	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 plans to take to help improve the transparency of the funding of All-Party Parliamentary Groups.
	tabling member constituency	Stockport
	tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
	uin	27355
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2021 answer text <p>The Commission is aware that the Committee on Standards is currently undertaking a wide-ranging inquiry into the rules relating to All-Party Parliamentary Groups. The Committee has announced that its inquiry will cover the &quot;transparency and appropriateness of funding of APPG activities and secretarial support&quot;. The inquiry will also cover other subjects including financial governance and controls, use of passes, the role of external secretariats and the risk of APPGs being used for access by lobbyists, other organisations or foreign governments, and who should be accountable for ensuring that APPGs comply with the rules.</p><p>The Committee has taken written evidence in this inquiry, which is available on its website, and plans to announce a series of oral evidence session after the summer recess and making a report to the House as soon as possible. The Commission looks forward to receiving the Committee’s recommendations on this important matter.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 12/07/2021 15:09:34 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

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

1168405

	registered interest
	date	19/12/2019
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has received a request from the Government to arrange for Big Ben to chime to mark the UK's departure from the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	154
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>The House of Commons Commission has not received a request from the Government to arrange for Big Ben to chime to mark the UK’s departure from the EU.</p><p>The Commission is aware of EDM No. 2, tabled by the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford, which calls on Mr Speaker and the House Authorities to make arrangements for Big Ben to chime at 11.00 pm on 31 January 2020.</p><p>The Commission is further aware that an amendment in the names of Mark Francois and other signatories has been tabled to the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill that moves the following clause;</p><p>Exit day chimes of Big Ben</p><p>(1) The United Kingdom leaves the European Union, in accordance with Article 50 (2) of the Treaty on European Union, at 11.00pm Greenwich Mean Time on Friday 31 January 2020.</p><p>(2) The Speaker of the House of Commons and the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons, together with any other relevant parliamentary authorities, must make arrangements for the occasion in subsection (1) to be marked by the sounding of the hourly chimes including eleven strikes of the principal bell (Big Ben) of the Great Clock in the Elizabeth Tower of the Houses of Parliament at 11.00pm Greenwich Mean Time on Friday 31 January 2020.</p><p>In May 2018, the Commission agreed that, during the Elizabeth Tower refurbishment project, Big Ben should sound only for Remembrance Sunday, Armistice Day and over the New Year.</p> answering member constituency Mole Valley answering member printed Sir Paul Beresford question first answered 07/01/2020 13:30:44 answering member 103 label Biography information for Sir Paul Beresford
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1170327

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2020
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will allow Big Ben to chime at 11pm GMT on 31 January 2020 to mark the UK leaving the EU; what estimate has been made of the cost of activating the clock mechanism to enable those chimes; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Lichfield
	tabling member printed	Michael Fabricant
	uin	2417
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2020 answer text <p>The Speaker has indicated that this is a matter for Members of the House of Commons. The House of Commons Commission will respond to any decision of the House on this matter. In the absence of any such decision, the Commission's position on the sounding of Big Ben remains unchanged.</p><p>For the Bell to ring on 31 January, the temporary striking mechanism used for Remembrance Sunday and New Year's Eve would need to be reattached and tested to ensure the timing is correct. Alongside this work, a temporary floor of the belfry where Big Ben is housed would also need to be installed, as extensive work is currently taking place in this area. The cost for the temporary floor and installing, testing and striking Big Ben would be approximately £120,000.</p><p>In addition to the set-up, the delay to work in the belfry would push back the planned programme of works by two to four weeks, with each week of delays costing approximately £100,000 a week. As such, the minimum cost of sounding Big Ben would be £320,000 but could be much higher (up to £500,000). These costs are based on a notice period of approximately two weeks. Should the project team be required to strike the bell with less notice, these costs would increase substantially.</p> answering member constituency Mole Valley answering member printed Sir Paul Beresford question first answered 15/01/2020 23:47:42 answering member 103 label Biography information for Sir Paul Beresford
	tabling member	280 label Biography information for Michael Fabricant

1453556

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2022
	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
	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 estimate the Commission has made of when the (a) four faces of the clock in the Elizabeth Tower will be (i) operating with the correct time and (ii) fully illuminated and (b) chimes will be reinstated.
	tabling member constituency	Lichfield
	tabling member printed	Michael Fabricant
	uin	145802
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2022 answer text <p>The Elizabeth Tower and the Great Clock are currently undergoing the most extensive conservation project carried out in the 160 years since Big Ben and the quarter bells began to strike.</p><p>Following conservation off-site, the clock mechanism – which usually powers the hammers that strike the Great Bell (Big Ben) and the four quarter bells – is currently being re-installed in the Tower and tested.</p><p>Dusty works are still ongoing in the ventilation shaft of the Tower, which has required the hands of the West Dial to be kept stationary to prevent damage to both the hands and the mechanism itself.</p><p>The clock hands on the West Dial are scheduled to start operating again towards the end of Spring, once these works have completed. The illumination of the dials and the return of regular striking of the bells is set to resume before the conservation project completes in the Summer.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Sir Charles Walker question first answered 28/03/2022 16:09:23 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	280 label Biography information for Michael Fabricant

1170507

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2020
	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: Festivals and Special Occasions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost was of Big Ben chiming on (a) Remembrance Sunday 2019 and (b) New Year's Eve 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Rayleigh and Wickford
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Francois
	uin	2442
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2020 answer text <p>The costs associated with striking Big Ben on Remembrance Sunday and New Year's Eve in 2019 were £14.2k including VAT <ins class="ministerial">in total.</ins> <del class="ministerial">on each occasion.</del></p><p>The striking of Big Ben on these occasions was coordinated around the planned works so as to minimise the impact on the project costs and to ensure it did not result in any delay. If the project team are required to strike the bell with less notice, the costs would substantially increase due to the unexpected impact on the project schedule.</p> answering member constituency Mole Valley answering member printed Sir Paul Beresford question first answered 16/01/2020 20:09:42 question first ministerially corrected 19/02/2020 08:40:44 answering member 103 label Biography information for Sir Paul Beresford previous answer version 1393 answering member constituency Mole Valley answering member printed Sir Paul Beresford answering member 103 label Biography information for Sir Paul Beresford
	tabling member	1444 label Biography information for Mr Mark Francois

1259809

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2020
	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: Lifts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what progress has been made on the installation of a lift inside Elizabeth Tower.
	tabling member constituency	South Northamptonshire
	tabling member printed	Andrea Leadsom
	uin	127545
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2020 answer text <p>A lift is being installed in the Elizabeth Tower as part of the Elizabeth Tower refurbishment project. The majority of the lift infrastructure has now been installed and is currently being tested and commissioned by the contractor.</p><p>At present there is only a single spiral staircase with 334 steps. The lift is being installed into an existing ventilation shaft to improve safety and to help reduce the time it would take to evacuate a person from the Tower in the event of a medical emergency. The lift will also improve both security and access to the Great Clock for maintenance purposes.</p><p>The maximum size of the lift is constrained by the Tower’s original design. The restricted dimensions of the ventilation shaft mean that it is not possible to install a lift that is fully compliant with the relevant legislation. In the New Year teams from across the House will be evaluating how to improve disabled access to the Elizabeth Tower. This work will include exploring how visitors with different access requirements can find out more about the Elizabeth Tower and learn about its history. Making sure as many people as possible are able to learn about and visit the Tower is a key objective.</p> answering member constituency Perth and North Perthshire answering member printed Pete Wishart question first answered 14/12/2020 17:46:41 answering member 1440 label Biography information for Pete Wishart
	tabling member	4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom

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