§ 29. Mrs. ClwydTo ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what proposals he has to improve the working conditions of staff in the Members' Dining Room. [24749]
§ Mr. BeithThe refurbishment of the Refreshment Department, which the House has approved, will lead to improvements of the working conditions of its staff. Work to improve the central kitchen and the dining rooms it serves, which include the Members' Dining Room, is scheduled to commence next year.
§ Mrs. ClwydThat was not quite the answer that I had in mind. I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will agree that hon. Members are concerned not only about their pay and conditions but about the pay and conditions of the people who make life more tolerable for us in this place. Will he look into the pay and conditions of the people who serve in the dining rooms—particularly those who work split shifts and do not have adequate rest room facilities? Their rest room facilities have, in fact, got worse.
17 I am sure that the new catering manager or manageress is a very efficient person, but the stools at the side of the dining room, which people could use to take the weight off their feet when they were not serving at the table, have been taken away. Many people have to stand for long hours in the dining room without resting their feet. Although the catering manager says that the stools look untidy, I do not think that many hon. Members share that point of view.
§ Mr. BeithThe pay and conditions of members of the Refreshment Department staff compare favourably with those of the rest of the catering industry. The conditions in the kitchens, however, have not been ideal, and that is one of the reasons for the substantial refurbishment I have described.
The other part of the hon. Lady's question relates to a decision taken in 1994 in the Refreshment Department as a matter of day-to-day management. Sitting down during working hours was possible only for staff in the Members' Dining Room. That practice has not been considered by the Commission because it does not raise issues about the general conditions of Refreshment Department staff.
§ Mr. John MarshallWill the right hon. Gentleman confirm that some members of the Refreshment Department staff are paid more than Members of Parliament?
§ Sir Patrick CormackAnd the Prime Minister?