Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Fifty-Second Report - Restoration & Renewal of the Palace of Westminster – 2023 Recall
Public Accounts Committee
HC 1021
Published 17 May 2023
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifty-second report from Session 2022-23 · published 21 Jul 2023
Recommendations & Conclusions
2
Conclusion
Deferred
Present cost and time estimates in ranges and report Restoration and Renewal pilot progress.
Conclusion
There remains a lack of clarity over what a restored Palace will look like, and how it will be delivered, which makes the programme currently extremely difficult to cost with any certainty. In June 2022 we highlighted how critical value …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the recommendation, discussing the cost of alcohol to society and related departmental work instead of the Palace of Westminster's R&R cost estimates and pilot progress.
HM Treasury
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3
Conclusion
Deferred
Publish annual performance reports and improve member engagement for Restoration Programme.
Conclusion
Transparency will be critical to facilitate accountability, and for Parliament and the public to gain confidence in the programme and its leadership. The current Client Board, alongside the Programme SRO, identified previous parliamentary engagement as having been insufficient. For example, …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the recommendation, discussing funding for drug and alcohol treatment services instead of the Clerks' commitments to transparency and member engagement on the R&R programme.
HM Treasury
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4
Recommendation
Deferred
Set out process for Clerks to manage conflicts between legal responsibilities.
Recommendation
It is unclear how the Clerks will manage their legal responsibilities to the programme alongside those to individuals working in and visiting the Palace. From January 2023 the Clerks, acting jointly, have overall responsibility for the parliamentary building works. They …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the recommendation, discussing drug strategy investment and alcohol treatment guidelines instead of the Clerks' process for handling conflicts of legal responsibility for the R&R programme.
HM Treasury
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5
Conclusion
Deferred
Develop clear plan to reiterate contractor responsibilities for timely incident reporting and accountability
Conclusion
Compliance with health and safety protocols, in particular reporting asbestos incidents, remains unsatisfactory. The Clerks have personal responsibility for the health and safety of those working and using the Palace. To fulfil this responsibility, they will rely on others, such …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the recommendation, discussing a Local Outcomes Framework dashboard for drug and alcohol treatment instead of the Clerks' plans for reiterating contractor responsibilities for R&R health and safety.
HM Treasury
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1
Conclusion
Deferred
Committee gathered evidence from key Palace restoration and renewal stakeholders
Conclusion
Following our previous reports on the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster (the Palace), we took evidence from the Programme SRO and Head of the R&R Client team, the Delivery Authority Chief Executive, the Clerk of the House …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the committee's conclusion, discussing strategies to tackle alcohol harm instead of the committee's evidence-gathering on the Palace of Westminster's R&R programme.
HM Treasury
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6
Conclusion
Deferred
Palace of Westminster faces catastrophic damage risks, especially from fire incidents
Conclusion
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the committee's conclusion, discussing a substance misuse workforce strategic plan instead of the safety and fire risks within the Palace of Westminster.
HM Treasury
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7
Conclusion
Deferred
Palace of Westminster requires extensive and costly ongoing maintenance works
Conclusion
The House Administrations undertake maintenance works across the parliamentary estate. The Clerks told us maintenance costs totalled approximately £2 million per week, with the House Administrations spending around £100 million a year.13 The sheer quantity of building and maintenance work …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the committee's conclusion, discussing CDDO's legacy IT risk framework and remediation programmes instead of maintenance works on the parliamentary estate.
HM Treasury
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