§ Mr. Redmondasked the Lord President of the Council for how many hours the House of Commons sat in Session 1972–73; how many of these hours were after 10.30 p.m.; what was the average cost per hour, including heating and wages and salaries; and by how much this figure would have been reduced if all sittings had terminated by not later than 11 p.m. or midnight.
§ Mr. PriorIn Session 1972–73 this House sat for a total of 1,457 hours. Of these, 227 hours were after 10.30 p.m.
Expenditure charged to the House of Commons Vote (Class I, Vote 2) for the Financial year 1972–73 was £6,786,888. Additional expenditure borne on the Votes of other Departments in connection with the operating costs of the House of Commons was estimated at £3,589,500. The overall cost for each hour when the House was sitting may accordingly be estimated at about £7,000. It is not possible to make any realistic estimate of the extent to which these costs might have been reduced if all sittings had ended by 11 p.m. or midnight.