Recommendation 6

The Clerks have legal responsibility for the safety of those working and using the Palace and the wider estate.9 The Clerk of the House of Commons told us he was very clear that eventually there will be ‘catastrophic and irreversible damage to the Palace’ if decisions continue to be deferred. Both Clerks were uncertain how long the Palace could continue to be used in its current condition.10 For example, the Palace does not have robust systems to stop fire spreading, and while the Clerks remain confident that the Palace could be cleared to minimise the risk to human life,11 the building itself would be unlikely to be preserved. Since 2016, there have been 44 fire incidents across the parliamentary estate, with fire described as the ‘foremost risk’ to preserving the Palace for future generation.12