Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he and the Commission will seek to ensure that heritage concerns do not prevent the immediate installation of automated access control systems for four designated doors to the Chamber of the House.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The planned works to install pass readers and door automation were not able to be completed during the summer recess due to previously unidentified void spaces and encaustic tiles under the doors. The hidden voids were not visible in the pre-installation surveys that were undertaken.

I am informed that the Strategic Estates project team is engaging with teams across the House of Lords to identify the appropriate resolution to ensure the appropriate balance of accessibility, security, heritage, and value for money considerations. The House of Lords Services Committee were last updated on the project on Tuesday 9 September, following a Paper on Tuesday 24 June, and an update on the Automated Doors will be given by the Clerk of the Parliaments at the next meeting of the Commission on Wednesday 17 September.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the new CCTV cameras will record all meetings in the Royal Gallery which peers may have with other peers and outside visitors.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The CCTV cameras are in operation and will record video activity in the areas covered. Control of the imagery will be in line with the agreed camera policy. Audio will not be captured by the CCTV cameras.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, with regard to the new CCTV cameras being installed around the Chamber of the House, whether the CCTV recordings will be watched in real time or saved for retrospective review; who will be watching or reviewing the images; when the captured recordings will be deleted; and whether the cameras will have the capacity to record sound even though there is no plan to do so at the moment.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Strict controls are in place for CCTV footage and reassurance regarding these is being provided to Member bodies, including the Services Committee and the Commission. Members from these bodies have also attended or have been invited to tours of Parliament’s Security Operations Centre, to witness some of the privacy controls in action.

Parliament’s Security Camera Policy is available publicly on the Parliament website. This provides some details of our security camera systems, including that:

• CCTV operators are designated and trained by the Parliamentary Security Department to operate CCTV equipment. Non-designated personnel may also monitor CCTV systems on an as-required basis for specific purposes but when this happens, they will do so under the overall supervision of a designated operator. In exceptional situations such as illness or emergencies, non-designated operators may operate systems but these are logged and the reasons recorded.
• As a general rule, images captured are usually deleted after 28 days. However, it may be appropriate to retain images or information for a longer period where it is needed for evidential, investigative or training purposes.
• The cameras do not record conversations as they do not have the technical capacity to record sound. There are no plans to add that functionality.

I am advised that releasing the specific details of our security arrangements, including CCTV, would be useful for an adversary planning an attack on Parliament. For these reasons, releasing the requested details further to those outlined in the Policy would compromise the safety and security of those working on and visiting the Parliamentary Estate.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what suggestions and plans for changes to the Palace for the benefit of disabled members or visitors have been prevented from happening or were changed by the parliamentary Heritage Team.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Architecture and Conservation Team play an active and supporting role in assessing proposed interventions and advising on what can be achieved without Listed Building Consent (LBC), or where LBC is legally required.

The Architecture and Conservation team are responsible for ensuring that the Administration do not jeopardise Parliament’s adherence to the legal restrictions placed on it by the listing or the designation as a World Heritage site, and work collaboratively with teams across Parliament to ensure that all plans proposed by Strategic Estates to improve accessibility for disabled Members or visitors are compliant with the legal restrictions.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the remit of the parliamentary Heritage Team; who it reports to and what powers it has to prevent or change plans for adaptations on the Estate with are designed to make access easier for disabled members or visitors.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The remit of the Parliament’s Architecture and Conservation team (Heritage Team), which reports to the Managing Director of Strategic Estates, is to advise officers of Parliament’s Administration on good practice when managing works to the historic buildings on the Parliamentary Estate. The Architecture and Conservation team are responsible for ensuring that the Administration does not jeopardise Parliament’s adherence to the legal restrictions placed on it by the Grade 1 listing or the designation as a World Heritage site. Working within these restrictions, the Heritage Team and Strategic Estates work collaboratively with teams across the House of Lords to ensure that all projects, including those to improve accessibility, meet the heritage requirements of the building.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether any parts of the new CCTV cameras operating around the Chamber of the House have been made or supplied from China.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

No Chinese companies have supplied, installed, or maintained any of the CCTV cameras on the Parliamentary Estate. We follow the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA)’s guidance regarding the security equipment used on the Parliamentary Estate.

Found: September 2025 Noon Watch the meeting Members present: Baroness Morris of Yardley (The Chair); Lord Blencathra

Found: September 2025 11 am Watch the meeting Members present: Baroness Morris of Yardley (The Chair); Lord Blencathra

Found: LORD ROBOROUGH LORD BLENCATHRA 248_ [Withdrawn] BARONESS TAYLOR OF STEVENAGE 248A_ Clause 55, page