Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Accepted
Improving parliamentary engagement is crucial for achieving the ambitious restoration timetable.
Conclusion
The Programme SRO recognises that to achieve the ambitious timetable, the R&R Client Team will need to improve its parliamentary engagement.63 The Programme SRO and Delivery Authority Chief Executive envisage that recent governance changes will lead to more political ownership, and therefore engagement, across Parliament as decision- makers including the Speakers and House Leaders will be more involved in the process.64 However, all witnesses also reinforced the need to get Member engagement right, crucial over the next year.65 The R&R Client Team will be leading the engagement to find out what Members feel, what they think might be acceptable and what matters to them. The Programme SRO recognised their engagement plans as ambitious, requiring lots of work particularly in the run-up to significant decisions. This included planning more focused engagement using existing communication networks, targeted one-to-one Member briefings and liaising with parliamentary committees.66 57 Q 113 58 Q 86 59 Restoration and Renewal Client Board meeting, 17 October 2022 60 Letter from Liz Peace, Chair of Sponsor Body December 2022 61 C&AG’s report, Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster: Progress Update, HC1016, Session 2021–22, 21 January 2022 62 Committee of Public Accounts, Tenth Report of Session 2022–23, Restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster, HC 49, 29 June 2022 63 Q 86 64 Qq 82–83,86 65 Qq 62, 83, 86 66 Q 82 Restoration & Renewal of the Palace of Westminster – 2023 Recall 17
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the importance of Member engagement, detailing a comprehensive engagement plan for the remainder of 2023, including regular internal engagement, direct alerts to Members, and an information hub, leading up to the strategic case vote.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Clerk of the House, Clerk of the Parliaments, and Client Team agree with the Committee’s recommendations. First bullet – annual performance report Previous commitments made to the Committee are already being fulfilled and, specifically, the first R&R annual progress report from the House Administrations is due to be published before summer recess 2023. In addition to the annual progress report, the Programme publishes quarterly reports providing updates on the Programme and setting out progress against key milestones. The latest quarterly report was published on the R&R Programme Board’s website in June. The R&R Client and Programme Boards also publish meeting agendas, and the Formal Minutes for each meeting, on their respective websites, for transparency purposes. The Clerk of the House and the Clerk of the Parliaments have previously committed to publishing the outcomes of any future work by the Independent Advice and Assurance Panel (IAAP) which they commission, subject to the agreement of the Commissions acting as the Client Board. The first IAAP report was published in June 2022 as an appendix to the Joint Commissions’ Report Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster – a new mandate. The latest IAAP report, undertaken in February, was published on the Programme Board’s website in June 2023. Second bullet – improving Member engagement Improving Member, and wider internal, engagement has been a priority for the new R&R Client Team with new senior resource put in place to manage this aspect of the programme and close collaboration with in-house teams. Since the transfer of accountability for R&R to the Clerks in January 2023, the following engagement activities have taken place: • Domestic Committees and relevant Select Committees in both Houses were engaged on the emerging options in February • Awareness raising stands were held in both Portcullis House and the Palace in March, April and from June to July • House and Members’ staff focus groups, and 1:1 interviews with Members, focusing on the impacts and benefits of the options, were undertaken in May • Engagement with Party Groups is ongoing. In line with commitments made, Members have been communicated with directly following the first meeting of the R&R Client Board, in advance of the motion to appoint the R&R Programme Board and to alert them to the engagement stands. Members were also notified directly of the publication of both the Quarterly Report for R&R and the IAAP report in June. Members will continue to be alerted to key decisions and publications in the future. A Restoration and Renewal information hub is in place on the parliamentary intranet site. A comprehensive engagement plan, agreed by the R&R Programme Board, is also in place for the remainder of 2023 and leading up to the initial vote on a strategic case. The plan seeks to ensure regular internal engagement with Members and other passholders. A separate plan addresses external engagement. At all times Members will be made aware of the level of detail available in this phase of the Programme. Ranges, referencing current figures, will continue to be expressed to help manage expectations.