HC Deb 01 February 1984 vol 53 cc225-6W
Mr. Proctor

asked the Lord Privy Seal (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, in what circumstances duties of (a) staff of the House and (b) those occupying official residences, may require the provision of overnight accommodation;

(2) what check is made, and by whom, to ascertain that persons using bedrooms in the Palace of Westminster are entitled to do so;

(3) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, what other facilities are provided in connection with the bedrooms provided in the Palace of Westminster;

(4) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, which are the official residences to which he refers; what facilities they contain; and what is the cost of each residence to public funds;

(5) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, in which parts of the Palace of Westminster the bedrooms are situated;

(6) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, what is the average frequency of usage of the bedrooms provided in the Palace of Westminster;

(7) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, what is the total number of beds provided in the Palace of Westminster;

(8) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, who is responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the bedrooms provided in the Palace of Westminster; whether this is carried out by a private contractor; and if he will make a statement;

(9) what has been the annual cost of maintenance of the bedrooms provided in the Palace of Westminster in each of the last 10 years;

(10) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, which categories of staff of the House are permitted to use the bedrooms provided in the Palace of Westminster;

(11) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) of 1 December 1983, Official Report, c. 567, which persons occupy official residences and make use of the bedrooms provided in the Palace of Westminster.

Mr. Biffen

The location of bedrooms provided in the Palace of Westminster and the categories of person who may use them are as follows. Seven rooms are permanently allocated. Three are for the use of staff of the House and doorkeepers whose duties require their attendance when the House sits late. These may be booked, as appropriate, through the Clerk of Committees and the Principal Doorkeeper, who are responsible for checking the eligibility of staff at the time a booking is made. One bedroom is kept for use by the staff of all Departments and is booked through the Hall Keeper's Lodge. All bedrooms are extensively used. Washing and lavatory facilities are provided.

Location of room No. of rooms Used by
Library Corridor 1* Lady Members Chairman of Ways and
Star Chamber Court 1* Means First Deputy Chairman of
1* Ways and Means Second Deputy Chairman
1* of Ways and Means
Clock Tower 1 Clerk of Committees
1* Assistant Serjeant at Arms Deputy Assistant Serjeant at Arms
Upper Minister's Corridor 1* Clerk on duty at the Table
Upper Committee Corridor 1* Clerk Assistant Principal Clerk of the Table
Speaker's Court, North Block 2 Doorkeepers
1 Staff of all Departments
* Permanently allocated.

Official Residences are provided for

House of Lords House of Commons
The Black Rod The Speaker
The Yeoman Usher The Speaker's Secretary
The Lord Chancellor The Serjeant at Arms
The Staff Superintendent The Deputy Serjeant at Arms
The Resident Engineer The Head Officer Keeper
The Second Office Keeper

They contain the normal residential facilities on varying scales.

A total of 66 beds is provided in the Palace of Westminster. Details of the cost of each residence and the annual cost of maintaining the bedrooms could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The cleaning of bedrooms within residences is the responsibility of those occupying the residence. Other bedrooms are cleaned by part-time cleaning staff of the Serjeant at Arms' Department. Maintenance of all bedrooms in the Palace of Westminster is the responsibility of the Property Services Agency.