Question

To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons Commission spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

The House of Commons spent £159,771 in 2013 and £3,805 in 2014 to date on television screens which will enable the migration of Parliament’s Annunciator to a fully digital service.

These screens replaced analogue-only screens that were at the end of their life with more energy efficient digital models. The new digital screens are 40% cheaper than the analogue sets that they replace. At the time of purchase a reduction in maintenance costs of around £22,000 over the lifetime of the sets and £15,000 reduction in energy cost across the Parliamentary Estate per annum was estimated.

The upgrade to a digital only Annunciator Service has enabled an increase in channels available including live feeds from up to 16 Committee Rooms, plenary sessions of the devolved assemblies, a broader range of regional and international news channels and restoration of subtitles.