§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which there was a leak of water into hon. Members' accommodation in the Cloisters over the weekend of 11 to 12 May; and what steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence.
§ Mrs. Clwydasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how long he estimates it will take to repair the damage caused by leaking effluent to hon. Members' offices in the Cloisters over the weekend 11 to 12 May; what was the origin of the damage; and if he will estimate the cost of repairs to furniture and carpets.
§ Sir George YoungThe failure on Sunday 12 May of a ball-valve in a cistern in the Members' cloakroom on the Principal Floor above the corridor outside the Cloisters resulted in an overflow of clean water which ran down into Members' accommodation below. Mopping up was started immediately the flood was discovered, and was completed on Monday morning; drying-out of carpeting took place throughout Tuesday; the room was dehumified on Wednesday, with carpet cleaning and de-odorisation on Thursday. The fault was rectified on Sunday 12 May.
Drying out of the stonework may take some weeks, depending on weather conditions.
The cost of the specialist carpet cleaning was £40. If a new carpet is required, this will cost around £1,000 plus labour charges. There was no damage to furniture.
All overflow pipes are being checked to prevent a similar flood recurring. I very much regret the inconvenience caused to hon. Members.