Recommendation 33

The Delivery Authority has now been tasked with developing new options for undertaking the work that will involve some continued presence.87 We asked the Clerks if they could manage the risks to users of the building should the House of Commons maintain a presence in the Palace during the works. The Clerks did not clearly state whether they could but told us they would want to assess the level of risk very carefully and recognised the greater risk of work undertaken with the Palace occupied. They would not sign-off any plans which included an unacceptable level of risk.88 The House of Commons Clerk implied that while continued presence may not seem viable, a full decant may prove to be politically unacceptable.89 In June 2022, the Commissions set out their plans to undertake work in stages, focusing first on priority areas such as fire safety and protection, replacing old and obsolete building services and addressing asbestos. They wanted to develop a new approach that would reduce the time Members would need to move out of the Palace.90