HL Deb 21 February 1984 vol 448 cc628-30

2.54 p.m.

Lord Segal

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask the Chairman of Committees what steps are being taken to ease congestion in the car parks of the House.

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Aberdare)

My Lords, the steadily increasing daily attendance at your Lordships' House has added to the pressure on car parking space. This problem is constantly under review and the police and the staff of the House do their best to cope within the restricted space available.

Lord Segal

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord the Chairman of Committees for that reply, I should like to join with him in thanking the attendants of the House and the police for the assistance that they render to Members, especially those who are disabled, seeking to park their cars. As parking spaces become more and more scarce, and as the abolition of this House becomes more and more remote, could not parking space be created underground as has been done in the other place so that the approaches to this House may be more greatly enhanced?

Lord Aberdare

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for the tribute that he paid to the staff and to the police. I am sure that it will be echoed thoughout the House. I doubt very much whether his idea of a further underground car park is really feasible, but we shall continue to do our best to provide as much space as we can.

Lord Stewart of Fulham

My Lords, while agreeing with what has been said about the staff and the police, can the noble Lord help me over something that has always puzzled me in regard to the car park? Why is the statue there one of King Richard I? I never heard that he was much of a parliamentarian.

Lord Aberdare

My Lords, it is perfectly true that Richard I spent only six months of his 10-year reign in this country but this statue was commissioned as a commemorative symbol of the Great Exhibition and exhibited by the sculptor Carlo Marochetti at the west entrance of the exhibition in 1951.

Noble Lords

Eighteen fifty-one.

Lord Aberdare

My Lords, 1851.I am reading but I am reading it wrong. In 1859, it was decided that the statue should be placed in Old Palace Yard and it has been there ever since.

Lord John-Mackie

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that if noble Lords would learn to park head to tail with the passenger doors close together and only one gap between cars it would be possible to park six cars where only five are accommodated at present? Is he also aware that if chauffeur driven cars would leave the car park as soon as they have dropped their passengers this would relieve congestion considerably?

Lord Aberdare

My Lords, I am sure that those suggestions will have been heard and will be observed. I can only say that the staff perform an amazing job in getting a quart into a pint pot. There are 94 car parking spaces between the Peers car park and the Royal Court car park and very often 135 cars are parked in those spaces.

Lord Beswick

My Lords, the noble Lord rightly calls attention to the fact that demand on space has increased over the last decade or so. Am I also not right in saying that the space has been decreased since a pedestrian way was railed off? Is there not a demand for something more to be done?

Lord Aberdare

My Lords, I think that marginally that was so. On the other hand, we did gain a few other places nearer to St. Stephen's Hall when the House of Commons began using its underground car park.

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