Cabinet Office<p>I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.</p><p>The UK Government is not planning for independence as it believes that people in Scotland will vote to remain within the UK. As such, the Government has made no assessment of the risk of losses to the public purse, and has no plans to change accounting officers conventions</p>Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and StrathspeyDanny Alexander2014-02-25154018false2014-02-25T12:00:00.00Z532013-05-081House of CommonsTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of losses to the public purse arising from applying the current accounting officer conventions in the period leading up to the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.falseCumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch EastGregg McClymont154017Cabinet Office<p>I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.</p><p>The UK Government is not planning for independence as it believes that people in Scotland will vote to remain within the UK. As such, the Government has made no assessment of the risk of losses to the public purse, and has no plans to change accounting officers conventions</p>Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and StrathspeyDanny Alexander2014-02-25154017false2014-02-25T12:00:00.00Z532013-05-081House of CommonsTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with officials in his Department on how the accounting officers' conventions would apply to investment in Scotland in advance of the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.falseCumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch EastGregg McClymont154018The Senior Deputy Speaker<p>‘Restoration’ has been taken to include work currently underway on the Estate to restore or conserve areas of the historic building fabric, including but not limited to the restoration work in Westminster Hall and the Encaustic Tile project. It does not include the estimated costs of the Restoration and Renewal Programme. ‘Repair’ includes project works underway on the estate but does not include general day to day maintenance. Fire protection work costs are based on the Fire Life Safety Works Programme.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Palace of Westminster</p></td><td><p>Millbank House</p></td><td><p>Fielden House</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Restoration</p></td><td><p>External Courtyards Conservation work (Phase 1) current approved cost: £20.2m; Westminster Hall current approved cost: £12.1m (subject to review); Elizabeth Tower current approved cost: £61.1m (subject to review); Cast Iron Roofs current approved cost: £84.4m; Encaustic Tiles current approved cost: £14.3m.</p></td><td><p>There is no restoration work currently underway.</p></td><td><p>There is no restoration work currently underway.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Repair</p></td><td><p>Works to the Palace in 2017/18 totalled £2m; works in 2018/19 are forecast to cost £2.8m.</p></td><td><p>Works to 5 Great College Street and its integration into Millbank House total £42.9m.</p></td><td><p>Planning is underway for the refurbishment of Fielden House. Surveying work is expected to commence in December 2018. The surveying working is required to finalise the business case. Until it is finalised it is not possible to provide an estimate.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fire Protection</p></td><td><p>The approved business cases forecast expenditure of £90m for fire safety work underway in the Palace of Westminster. The forecast expenditure of a project within the Fire Safety programme is currently being revised.</p></td><td><p>The cost of fire protection in the Great College Street area of Millbank House has been integrated into the project itself and therefore is included in the repair figure above. The cost of Fire Protection in 1&2 Millbank is currently forecast at £1.6m excluding risk and optimism bias (OB) and £2.1m including risk and OB.</p></td><td><p>The cost of making Fielden House Fire Life Safety compliant will form part of the refurbishment project. Therefore, it is not possible currently to confirm how much it will cost.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>Lord McFall of Alcluith2018-12-04false2018-12-04T13:10:58.93Z204Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)2018-11-05Parliamentary Estate: Repairs and Maintenance2House of LordsTo ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the estimated cost to the House of (1) restoration, (2) repair, and (3) fire protection work underway in (a) the Palace of Westminster, (b) Fielden House, and (c) Millbank House.falseLord Foulkes of CumnockHL11241The Senior Deputy Speaker<p>In line with the Authorised Records Disposal Practice, records relating to financial information relating to State Visits and Addresses is kept for 5 years and then disposed of. The costs to Parliament for visits where records are available are listed in the table below. These vary depending on whether the event was held in the Royal Gallery or Robing Room. Costs of addresses in Westminster Hall are not available. It should be noted that additional costs related to translation, sound and AV services, catering and, in a number of cases, ticketing and programmes are borne by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Event</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Date</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Location</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Porterage</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Furnishings</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Cost of halting planned maintenance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Flowers</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Ticketing and printing</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>State Visit by the King and Queen of The Netherlands</p></td><td><p>23 October 2018</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£7,235.00</p></td><td><p>£4,930.40</p></td><td><p>£2,500.00</p></td><td><p>£1,100.00</p></td><td><p>£109.68</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>State Visit by the King and Queen of Spain</p></td><td><p>12 July 2017</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£6,169.00</p></td><td><p>£4,925.85</p></td><td><p>£3,000.00</p></td><td><p>£480.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address by President of Columbia</p></td><td><p>1 November 2016</p></td><td><p>Robing Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£2,907.48</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£540.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address by President of Indonesia</p></td><td><p>19 April 2016</p></td><td><p>Robing Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£490.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£462.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Speech by Prime Minister of India</p></td><td><p>12 November 2015</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£2,350.00</p></td><td><p>£6,965.76</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£418.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address by the Prime Minister of China</p></td><td><p>20 October 2015</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£5,800.00</p></td><td><p>£8,678.85</p></td><td><p>£1,300.00</p></td><td><p>£418.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>State Visit by the President of Mexico</p></td><td><p>3 March 2015</p></td><td><p>Robing Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£1,497.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£740.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address by the President of Singapore</p></td><td><p>21 October 2014</p></td><td><p>Robing Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£941.16</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£470.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address by the President of Ireland</p></td><td><p>8 April 2014</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£5,450.00</p></td><td><p>£2,703.50</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£300.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address by the Chancellor of Germany</p></td><td><p>27 February 2014</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£5,450.00</p></td><td><p>£3,110.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£300.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p>Lord McFall of Alcluith2018-11-15false2018-11-15T17:31:41.183Z204Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)2018-11-05Parliament: Official Visits2House of LordsTo ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much each Address to both Houses of Parliament cost in each of the past 15 years.falseLord Foulkes of CumnockHL11242The Senior Deputy Speaker<p>The costs for 2017-18 were as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2017-18</strong> <strong>£000s</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1. Catering and Retail Services</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,346</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2. Department of Facilities</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,863</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3. Finance Department</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,441</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>4. Human Resources Office</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,691</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>5. Parliamentary Digital Service</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>14,536</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>6. Library</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2,384</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>7. Clerks and Procedural Services</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>15,383</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The total for Clerks and Procedural Services includes the costs of the Clerk of the Parliaments Office, Black Rod’s Office, Committee Office, Hansard, Journal Office, Communications Office, Legislation Office, and the Lord Speaker’s Office. Costs for the Commissioner of Standards are not separately identifiable and are within the Clerks and Procedural Services figure.</p><p> </p><p>In 2005-06 some offices and departments listed above did not exist, and since 2005-06 there have also been other changes to the roles and functions of offices and departments across the Administration; this makes providing comparison figures more difficult. The costs for 2005-06 were as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2005-06</strong> <strong>£000s</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1. Catering and Retail Services (was the Refreshment Department)</p></td><td><p>1,729</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2. Department of Facilities (did not exist – costs of the Attendants and Housekeepers sections)</p></td><td><p>1,013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3. Finance Department</p></td><td><p>1,272</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>4. Human Resources Office</p></td><td><p>942</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>5. Parliamentary Digital Service (did not exist – costs of Computer Office, ICT and telecommunications sections)</p></td><td><p>2,860</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>6. Library</p></td><td><p>2,926</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>7. Clerks and Procedural Services</p></td><td><p>11,816</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The total for Clerks and Procedural Services includes the costs of the Clerk of the Parliaments Office, Black Rod’s Office, Doorkeepers, Committee Office, Hansard, Journal and Information Office, Legislation Office, and the Printed Paper Office.</p><p> </p>Lord McFall of Alcluith2018-11-15false2018-11-15T17:32:29.48Z204Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)2018-11-05House of Lords: Expenditure2House of LordsTo ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the total cost to the House of the (1) Catering and Retail Service, (2) Department of Facilities, (3) Finance Department, (4) Human Resources Office, (5) Parliamentary Digital Service, (6) Library, (7) clerks and procedural services, and (8) Commissioner for Standards in the latest financial year for which figures are available; and what were the comparative figures for the 2005–6 financial year.falseLord Foulkes of CumnockHL11243The Senior Deputy Speaker<p>The total paid to Members of the House in allowances, travel and subsistence expenses under the Members Finance Scheme in relation to attendance at the House of Lords in each of the last 15 years was as follows:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Total £000s</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>17,604</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>21,872</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>18,787</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>19,638</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>20,658</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>19,637</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>21,611</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>17,856</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>16,033</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>17,514</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>17,152</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>16,306</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>14,401</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004-05</p></td><td><p>13,355</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2003-04</p></td><td><p>12,574</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The scheme of financial support for Members changed on 1 October 2010. Prior to then, in addition to travel costs, Members could claim reimbursement of expenses under categories entitled Overnight Subsistence, Day Subsistence, and Office Costs.</p><p>The totals differ from the summary numbers published in the notes to the annual Resource Accounts as to be consistent with classification over a long period of time the above totals only include amounts paid for travel, Daily Allowance (since 1 October 2010), Overnight Subsistence, Day Subsistence and Office Costs (prior to 1 October 2010).</p>Lord McFall of Alcluith2018-11-15false2018-11-15T17:35:11.78Z204Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)2018-11-05Peers: Allowances2House of LordsTo ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much was paid to members of the House in allowances in each of the last 15 years.falseLord Foulkes of CumnockHL11244The Lord Chairman of Committees<p>There are no current plans to reserve posts in the Palace of Westminster in the first instance for recently disabled servicemen and servicewomen.</p><p>Employment practice in both Houses is to recruit through fair and open competition and to welcome job applications from people with disabilities, making any reasonable adjustments to enable disabled applicants to compete equally for employment and promotion.</p><p>The bi-cameral workplace equality network ParliABLE promotes awareness and positive approaches to disability through publicity and events which continue to be well supported by Members of both Houses.</p>Lord Sewel2014-11-04false2014-11-04T12:36:33.6087448Z200Chairman of Committees (HoL)2014-10-22Parliament: Veterans2House of LordsTo ask the Chairman of Committees whether he has any plans, in conjunction with the House of Commons Commission, to identify those posts in the Palace of Westminster which could be filled by recently disabled servicemen and servicewomen and to keep those posts open, in the first instance, only for such individuals.falseLord BlencathraHL2331Leader of the House of Lords<p>The process for tabling oral questions was considered in detail in the 2012-13 session. In response to concerns raised about the current “first-come-first-served” system - including a concern about the requirement to queue raised by my Noble Friend, Lady Sharples - the Procedure Committee proposed the introduction of a ballot in its place (Procedure Committee, 3rd Report, Session 2012-13). The House remitted the issue back to the Procedure Committee for further consideration (HL Deb 9 Jan 2013, cols 145-172). <br><br>That further review did not identify a clear consensus as to whether a ballot was preferred to the “first-come-first-served” system (see Procedure Committee, 5th Report, Session 2012-13; see also HL Deb 24 April 2013, cols 1406-1417). <br><br>I know that strong views persist on both sides of the argument about this issue. I will write to the Chairman of the Procedure Committee on my Noble Friend’s behalf to suggest that the matter might be discussed at a future meeting of the Procedure Committee.</p><p> </p>Baroness Stowell of Beeston2014-11-18false2014-11-18T14:34:08.47Z92Leader of the House of Lords2014-11-04Oral Questions2House of LordsTo ask the Leader of the House whether she will propose to the Procedure Committee a review of the system for tabling oral questions in the House of Lords in respect of the requirement for members to queue.falseLord AveburyHL2628Department for Education<p>We are working very closely with other departments, including the Cabinet Office and the Department for Work and Pensions, to simplify free school meals criteria under universal credit, while ensuring that free lunches continue to be available to the families who need them most. These discussions, which include consideration of a phased implementation timetable, are in recognition of the significant number and complexity of passported benefits across Government, most of which have different eligibility criteria.</p><p>We will allow good time to enable schools, local authorities and children's charities to comment on our proposals before we introduce new entitlement criteria for free school meals under universal credit.</p><p> </p>YeovilMr David Laws2014-02-26false2014-02-26T12:00:00.00Z602013-05-081House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to consult on eligibility for free school meals ahead of the introduction of universal credit.falseSheffield South EastMr Clive Betts153906Leader of the House of Lords<p>This information is not held centrally; it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p>Baroness Stowell of Beeston2014-11-21false2014-11-21T14:44:34.197Z92Leader of the House of Lords2014-11-07House of Lords: Select Committee Reports2House of LordsTo ask the Leader of the House how many times in the last 10 years no Government response to a Lords Select Committee report was forthcoming eight months or longer after the report’s publication; and what were the subjects of the report or reports in question.falseLord LexdenHL27301001205916