Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the cost per metre of the security fence on the West Front of the House of Lords, and what were the total costs for that project.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In publishing the costs of a security asset, an adversary would be provided with information about the level of and efficacy of the mitigation we have in place. For these reasons the costs of the newly installed Abingdon Street fence are not in the public domain. The fence is not ‘off the shelf’ and incorporates security measures specifically designed to keep out a wide range of hostile actors.
In order to balance transparency with security, the House of Lords Finance Committee will undertake an enhanced programme of scrutiny of both costs and performance of security works, on a quarterly basis.