Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the cost of the traffic controllers stationed on the road between Black Rod's Entrance and New Palace Yard during the current building works; how long will those staff be employed; and what evidence there is for the need for those controllers, illustrated by (1) vehicle, or (2) pedestrian, casualties over the last 10 years.

There are four traffic marshals stationed on the road between Black Rod’s Garden and New Palace Yard (also called the ‘spine road’); there is one marshal in Royal Court, two along the road itself, and one in Speaker’s Court.

Other marshals are located elsewhere -one at Carriage Gates, one outside Westminster Hall, one on the Corus Lane/Peers’ Car Park and one in Black Rod’s Garden. There is also one marshal supervisor and two relief marshals to provide shift and break cover. This makes 11 marshals. The total cost for all marshals per week is £12,588.

Marshals will be in place while construction work is underway as part of the New Palace Yard Security Project. The intention is to reduce the number of marshals on the spine road, and elsewhere in the Palace, once users become more confident with the new arrangement. Strategic Estates are tracking and reviewing the system daily. Any remaining marshals may be deployed where our current monitoring of the one-way system identifies the most need.

The need for traffic marshals is not a consequence of vehicle or pedestrian causalities but is based on risk assessments, traffic modelling carried out prior to the operation of the one-way system, stakeholder requests, and construction industry best practice. On construction sites pedestrians and traffic are almost always segregated, but where this is not possible, such as on the Parliamentary Estate, additional mitigations are required.