§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Lord Privy Seal how many people work in the Palace of Westminster; and if he will break this figure down into categories including secretaries and research assistants to Members of both Houses.
§ Mr. BiffenThe information requested is as follows:
Number Staff and Officers of (i) House of Commons' Departments 931 (ii) House of Lords' Departments 315 Members' Private Staff: House of Commons (i) Secretaries 587 (ii) Research Assistants 459 House of Lords (i) Secretaries 48 (ii) Research Assistants 34 Staff employed by Associated Agencies in the Palace of Westminster: 705 The figures include temporary staff.
These figures do not include Civil Servants who spend a proportion of their time working in the palace or journalists accredited to the Press Galleries.