Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to his remarks on 8 February (HL Deb col 1740), whether any of the 'near misses' referred to occurred within 30 metres of a marshal on duty; and if so, how many marshals would have been within that approximate distance at the time.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The eight near misses I referred to on 8 February (HL Deb col 1740) did not occur within 30 metres of a marshal on duty, with half occurring outside the working hours of the marshals. The near misses demonstrate the inherent risk in a mixed-use occupied estate, even during quieter times of the day or night. They highlight the importance of a range of mitigations to that risk, including the use, where appropriate, the use of traffic marshals.
Please see the attached table for further information.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what consideration he has given to the need for traffic marshals on the parliamentary estate during (1) the Easter recess, (2) the summer recess, and (3) the General Election period.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The number of traffic marshals is reviewed on a quarterly basis to ensure we have sufficient cover to support ongoing projects. Estate-based colleagues remain on site during most recesses, and it is common for construction work to be undertaken more intensely during recess than in sitting times. In addition, Strategic Estates would consider any opportunity to reduce numbers, for example from 22 December to 2 January 2023 when there were no traffic marshals on the Estate.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to his Written Answer on 19 September 2023 (HL9892), what assessment he has made of the accuracy of those figures.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The answer given on 19 September 2023 (HL9892) of circa 3,500 vehicles per week in sitting times and 2,500 in recess reflects the rough average of vehicle movements. As more information has been collected by Strategic Estates, the accuracy of the vehicle movement recording has improved and the more up to date figures give an average of 4,052 vehicles in sitting times and 2,285 in recess.