Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment has been made of dissatisfaction with the parliamentary phone system expressed in the House of Lords Members Survey; and whether that will lead to a procurement review.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The Chief Information Officer and Managing Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service has noted Members’ dissatisfaction with the existing telephone handset solution expressed in the House of Lords’ Member Survey and has accepted the need to take remedial action.

An investment programme mandate to replace the current service which is now end of life has been recently approved by the bicameral Digital Strategy Board and will formally begin over the summer recess with the development of a business case alongside continued market research and implementation planning. The programme will prioritise addressing Members’ clear dissatisfaction with the telephone handsets. The programme has begun engaging with Members to ensure that the replacement solution addresses the dissatisfaction and will continue to do so after the summer recess.

At its meeting on the 26 May the Services Committee was advised that the project timelines had not yet been defined but it was expected that all user migration would be completed by the end of 2023.