HC Deb 10 December 1990 vol 182 c655
30. Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Lord President of the Council what special arrangements are made in the House for the accommodation of former Prime Ministers.

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. John MacGregor)

Members' rooms within the Palace and parliamentary outbuildings are allocated by the Government and Opposition parties' Whips on behalf of the Services Committee. Any special arrangements required are considered by the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee.

Mr. Banks

As there will be three ex-Prime Ministers in the House of Commons after the next general election perhaps we should have a special badge made for them —with crossed daggers on a blood-red background. To save the last Prime Minister expending a reported £9.5 million of her money to provide offices and a home for herself, could we offer her a suite of offices in county hall, which is empty? I am sure that she would be suitably happy there. We could all move over there as well. Now that the right hon. Lady has gone, will the right hon. Gentleman consider using county hall for offices for Members of Parliament?

Mr. MacGregor

The hon. Gentleman will be disappointed in respect of the first part of his question because he will find that things will not turn out as he suggests. As for the rest of his question, I have nothing to add to what the hon. Gentleman was told in a reply that he received from my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment on 23 November.

Sir Anthony Grant

Before my right hon. Friend gets too fussed about the accommodation of former Prime Ministers, will he apply his mind to the accommodation of the present Prime Minister? Will he have a word with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and point out that, although we are enormously proud that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister resides in Cambridgeshire, there is a substantial additional security cost to be borne by the poor old Cambridgeshire police?

Mr. MacGregor

The question is about accommodation in the House, which is rather different, but I will pass on my hon. Friend's remarks to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.