The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The Chief Information Officer and Managing Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service has noted Members\u2019 dissatisfaction with the existing telephone handset solution expressed in the House of Lords\u2019 Member Survey and has accepted the need to take remedial action.<\/p>
An investment programme mandate to replace the current service which is now end of life has been recently approved by the bicameral Digital Strategy Board and will formally begin over the summer recess with the development of a business case alongside continued market research and implementation planning. The programme will prioritise addressing Members\u2019 clear dissatisfaction with the telephone handsets. The programme has begun engaging with Members to ensure that the replacement solution addresses the dissatisfaction and will continue to do so after the summer recess.
<\/p>
At its meeting on the 26 May the Services Committee was advised that the project timelines had not yet been defined but it was expected that all user migration would be completed by the end of 2023.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/542", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Touhig"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Touhig"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-07-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-07-22T13:57:50.62Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "204"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : ""} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-07-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Parliament: Telephone Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment has been made of dissatisfaction with the parliamentary phone system expressed in the House of Lords Members Survey; and whether that will lead to a procurement review.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/499", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Campbell-Savours"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Campbell-Savours"} ], "uin" : "HL1790"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1483316", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "The Senior Deputy Speaker"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1483316/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The House of Lords does not hold detailed information regarding the salaries, recruitment fees, and redundancy payments for non-parliamentary staff involved in the Restoration and Renewal Programme.<\/p>
The House of Lords is recharged for its share of Restoration and Renewal costs by the House of Commons. Since 2014 the House of Lords contribution to the Restoration and Renewal Programme has been £58.7m. Of this sum, staff costs have totalled £7.55m and other costs, which include the costs of contractors to undertake surveys and other preparatory work, have totalled £51.15m.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4161", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-07-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-07-07T16:49:57.41Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "204"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : ""} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-06-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what has been the cost of (1) the salaries, recruitment fees, and redundancy payments for non-parliamentary staff, and (2) the contractors to undertake surveys and preparatory work, to prepare for Restoration and Renewal since 2014.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4596", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Colgrain"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Colgrain"} ], "uin" : "HL1268"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1471257", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "The Senior Deputy Speaker"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1471257/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The freehold title for the QEII Conference Centre is currently held by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (previously the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government). Since 2018 House of Lords officials have been involved in discussions with officials at DLUHC (then MHCLG) regarding potential use of the QEII Conference Centre by the House of Lords as part of the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) programme. This has included exploring the terms of any possible acquisition of the building for the purposes of housing the House of Lords during the R&R programme and seeking to understand the associated costs, risks and liabilities.<\/p>
This follows the QEII Conference Centre having been identified as the preferred decant location for the House of Lords, in line with the recommendation by the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster in 2016; a recommendation which was agreed by the House of Lords Commission in September 2018, subject to further feasibility work being undertaken.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4161", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-06-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-06-27T15:39:34.987Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "204"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : ""} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-06-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what discussions the House of Lords had with the landlord of the QEII conference centre about the relocation of the House as part of the Restoration and Renewal project; and on what basis such discussions took place.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4216", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Empey"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Empey"} ], "uin" : "HL1030"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1470880", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "The Senior Deputy Speaker"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1470880/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "