§ Mr. Onslowasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many research assistants currently hold passes admitting them to the Palace of Westminster: and how many of these are known to be normally resident in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. PymA total of 740 passes are currently issued to Members' secretaries and research assistants admitting them to the Palace of Westminster. Of these, 200 hold research assistants' passes which allow the holders to make restricted use of the main House of Commons Library. All 740 are issued with photo-identity passes which are renewable on application each January.
In addition, I understand that 60 temporary secretaries' passes have been issued to individuals not normally resident in the United Kingdom who are attached to Members as short-term research assistants. These passes, which are renewable quarterly, do not admit the holder to the main House of Commons Library.
My hon. Friend may wish to know that the Library Sub-Committee has laid down the limit of 200 research assistants' passes. As this limit has been reached, Members applying for a research assistant's pass are issued with a secretary's pass, and holders of these may use only the branch library in Norman Shaw North: not the main House of Commons Library.