Peers’ Entrance Security Door

Lord Hayward Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd July 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Senior Deputy Speaker (Lord Gardiner of Kimble)]

My Lords, again I have to preface this with what the noble Lord, Lord Robathan, said. I am not directly responsible for all this. My understanding is that the cost originally was £6.1 million. There were changes because of planned patterns of work and technical issues. One of the particular problems was that gas mains below ground, which originally passed through the entrance structure, had to be diverted. There were some other security capabilities and the cost of significant structural and ground works. There were additional costs, but my understanding is that the first sum was £6.1 million.

[Lord Hayward (Con)]

My Lords, the Senior Deputy Speaker has identified the total cost in relation to the Peers’ Entrance. I would like to identify that both Houses are currently recruiting a new chief commercial officer, which will cost £1 million in this Parliament. Under current circumstances, that is utterly unacceptable. Returning to the question of the Peers’ Entrance, the Senior Deputy Speaker told us the total cost, but the staff manning that door, calculated on the Written Answer he provided to me, are costing £2,500 per week. That cost has to be borne by someone. Can he identify by whom and when?

[The Senior Deputy Speaker (Lord Gardiner of Kimble)]

I will need to take some of that away so that I get the precise answer. To deal with the noble Lord’s first question, one of the areas I think we have not been good at—by we, I mean the administration, candidly—is project delivery capability. One of the reasons it was decided that the commercial directorate is now a joint department, as the Leader of the House sought the House’s agreement on, is that we must improve project delivery capability. That is what we are looking at with the appointment of the commercial director. They are large sums of money but, in the end, this is what the commercial rates are. I am afraid I am still of the generation that thinks £100 is a lot of money, but that is the situation.

On the issue of the number of people involved in the manual use of the door while it is being repaired and made usable, I am assured that they are within the existing complement of members of staff. I am mindful that the noble Lord, Lord Hayward, has asked me those questions. I will return to him with answers and put a copy in the Library so that there is transparency.