Security (Hansard, 17 January 1991)

§ Lord Waddington
My Lords, with the leave of the House, I would like to make a Statement about security. A number of steps are being taken to tighten arrangements in the present circumstances, and the situation will be continuously under review. My right honourable friend the Lord President of the Council announced in another place earlier this afternoon that one of these steps would be the wearing of passes by everyone within the precincts of the House, including Members except when in Chamber.
In the light of the decision of another place, I believe it is right for me as Leader of your Lordships' House to take the same step; that is that everyone within the precincts of this House, including ourselves, except when we are in this Chamber, should wear a photographic security pass.
I should stress to your Lordships that this is a temporary measure during the present emergency. It has of course been agreed through the usual channels; but it is without prejudice to any decisions on security ultimately to be taken through the Administration and Offices Committees. I should tell the House that I have asked my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor, the Clerk of the Parliaments and Black Rod to ensure that their staff comply with this decision.
I now come to the mechanics. Most of your Lordships will already have a photographic pass. If you do not have one, the Pass Office will remain open late tonight, and will be open tomorrow and on Monday, to issue new passes. The police manning all entry points into the Palace will from tomorrow morning be checking the passes of all those who come in and issuing pass holders with clear plastic slips to which will be attached either a chain (so that the pass can be worn around one's neck) or a lapel clip.
I need hardly repeat that I devoutly hope that the need for this measure will recede very quickly.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, the House will be grateful to the noble Lord the Leader of the House for announcing these measures, which we certainly support and which we hope the whole House will support. In these sad days it is important that security in the Palace of Westminster be maintained at the maximum. We recognise that this may be only a temporary measure which, in the course of time, if things go the way we all want, will be relaxed.
I understand that the mechanics will be subject to all sorts of instructions from Black Rod and others. Perhaps the noble Lord could just tell us whether we are required to wear these photographic passes—of course we all have passes in our pockets when we come in. Shall we have to show these passes, as it were, on the outside rather than showing them when we are requested to?
1319 What will happen to spouses when they come here, because spouses also have their own passes? Will they be required to wear them on the outside of their dress, or suit, rather than carrying them in their pockets or bag? Maybe these are purely questions of mechanics, but we should all be interested if the noble Lord the Leader of the House can help us on this. Obviously we accept what has happened, and we on our side will do everything we can to co-operate with the noble Lord in what he is proposing.

§ Baroness Seear
My Lords, we on these Benches would like to say briefly that of course we understand and accept the need for these regulations, and we shall comply with them in every way. The details of how, when and where we wear the passes can no doubt be dealt with through the usual channels.

§ Lord Waddington
; My Lords, it clearly would be convenient if people, when they approach the precincts, actually have the passes in a place where they can readily be seen by the people who are going to check them, but the requirement is that they should have these passes. That is the requirement. I understand that spouses have passes now, and it certainly would be correct if spouses who now have these passes do, from now on, have them in their possession and available for checking on their arrival at the Palace of Westminster.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, on that point, can my noble friend say whether spouses who do not possess a pass should apply for them, and how and when?

§ Lord Waddington
My Lords, certainly I would urge spouses who do not already have passes to apply for them. I mentioned to your Lordships that the Pass Office would be open tonight, all day tomorrow and on Monday and thereafter so that there should be ample opportunity for spouses to obtain the passes. Obviously it will take a day or two for the new system to be run in—I fully understand that—but we must make it as easy as possible for all those who are going to have the responsibility for checking. That might mean that people carrying out their duty are not known to us at this time and do not know the Members of this House in the way the regular staff do.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, I am sorry to press the noble Lord and I do not mean to be unco-operative, I just want to try to understand what the Statement means. If we are going to be issued with clear plastic slips to which will be attached either a chain so that the pass can be worn around one's neck or a lapel clip, does this mean that Members of this House will be, in a sense, obliged to actually make use of these plastic slips and wear the pass round the neck, or in their lapels, so that it can be seen instead of having it in the side pocket?
It is really quite important because we have to send out some sort of notice to everybody. I am sure that Black Rod will be sending out notices to this effect, but I should be grateful if the noble Lord could 1320 possibly answer this point. If it is too detailed for him, I am happy to say that we shall co-operate in every way.

§ Lord Waddington
My Lords, I think the requirement should be that people should wear them, but nobody is going to criticise anybody who has forgotten to put it round his neck and then produces it immediately he is asked to do so. I think that really is the right answer to that particular point.

Lord Allenby of Megiddo
My Lords, while I welcome anything that tightens security, may I ask the Leader of the House to consider the danger of people, including Peers, walking out of the Palace of Westminster with these passes round their necks and making themselves vulnerable targets on the streets outside?

§ Lord Waddington
My Lords, the noble Lord has raised an important point. Nobody is encouraging people to wander round the streets of London wearing these passes.

§ Earl Russell
My Lords, like everyone else, I am in entire sympathy with these provisions. I should like to ask for clarification about the procedure for our occasional guests.

§ Lord Waddington
My Lords, the Statement I have made tonight does not actually affect guests. Noble Lords will be responsible for their guests, who will have to be checked as they are at the present time. I think it would be unrealistic to suggest that every time anybody wanted to bring a guest into the Palace of Westminster he, or she, should be provided with the sort of pass I am talking about.

§ Baroness Seear
My Lords, there is one other point that I did not raise. When people ask to visit the House as guests and to hear the debates, what are we to do about them?

§ Lord Waddington
; My Lords, this is not covered in the Statement. Obviously discussions are going on as to how we may be able to deal with a number of security matters. Obviously one of those involves access to the Galleries in this House and the other place. However, I do not think that I should go into that tonight. I am really confining myself to this question of passes to help your Lordships so that we can get the new system run in as quickly as possible over the weekend.