HL Deb 10 May 2000 vol 612 c1573

3.18 p.m.

Lord Peyton of Yeovil

My Lords, I apologise for taking up a moment or two of your Lordships' time, and I am grateful to the Government Chief Whip for allowing me to ask a question.

Noble Lords will be aware that outside this building, in Millbank, there are at the present moment encamped the gathered legions of a company called McNicholas who are planting green piping all over the place. They are either utterly unaware or do not care that they are an infernal nuisance to the citizens of London because they are blocking the highway. Incidentally, if they do not actually block it, they are also restricting access to your Lordships' House.

I am grateful to the Government Chief Whip for his courtesy in looking into this matter. I hope that he will be now be nasty enough to move these people on.

Lord Carter

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving me notice of his intention to raise this matter. However, as soon as I saw the roadworks in place after the Easter Recess, I rather expected that the noble Lord would ask me about them. I wish only that I could state that they are now the responsibility of the Mayor of London rather than the Government Chief Whip.

The roadworks outside the Palace were planned for the week of the Easter Recess. That was announced on the Peers' Notice Board. On the sensible instructions of the police, the work was delayed to avoid the possibility of providing material for use in the demonstration which took place on Monday, 1st May. The work will now be completed by 13th or 14th May.