Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what discussions the House of Lords had with the landlord of the QEII conference centre about the relocation of the House as part of the Restoration and Renewal project; and on what basis such discussions took place.

The freehold title for the QEII Conference Centre is currently held by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (previously the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government). Since 2018 House of Lords officials have been involved in discussions with officials at DLUHC (then MHCLG) regarding potential use of the QEII Conference Centre by the House of Lords as part of the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) programme. This has included exploring the terms of any possible acquisition of the building for the purposes of housing the House of Lords during the R&R programme and seeking to understand the associated costs, risks and liabilities.

This follows the QEII Conference Centre having been identified as the preferred decant location for the House of Lords, in line with the recommendation by the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster in 2016; a recommendation which was agreed by the House of Lords Commission in September 2018, subject to further feasibility work being undertaken.