§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the total costs of running the Palace of Westminster in each of the last two Sessions of Parliament.
§ Sir George YoungThe costs of the parliamentary estate which are borne by my Department were £7,776,000 in the financial year 1982–83 and £7,981,000 in the financial year 1983–84. These figures do not include the cost of non-industrial staff employed in the palace, which does not fall to the Department's Houses of Parliament programme, but industrial staff costs are included.
It is not possible to differentiate between the Palace of Westminster and the parliamentary estate as a whole; and costs are recorded on the basis of financial years rather than parliamentary Sessions.
§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the total additional costs of running the Palace of Westminster in the event of either or both Houses of Parliament sitting after 10.30 pm in each of the last two Sessions of Parliament.
§ Sir George YoungThe information on which an answer could be based is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.