Charles Walker: The House of Commons Commission has high level oversight of financial management and procurement but delegates the procurement and management of individual contracts to the relevant House officials. The contract for Members Security Services was awarded in September 2021 following a robust procurement process managed in strict accordance with Public Contracts Regulations 2015. MPs’...
Charles Walker: The House has spent the following amounts on external consultants in each of the last five financial years: FY 2017/18 - £1,024,000 FY 2018/19 - £1,360,000 FY 2019/20 - £2,530,000 FY 2020/21 - £3,701,000 FY 2021/22 - £3,232,000 The Clerk has implemented a policy governing the use of consultants including requirements for justification of the use of consultants and maximum daily rates....
Charles Walker: Maintenance, repair and cleaning work has continued consistently across the last five years. Collections care and maintenance is a bicameral function and the Commons share across all statues and busts in the Palace is as follows. A small proportion of these costs relates to work not in the Palace or on other objects. 2017 Maintenance and cleaning: £5240 Repair: £1066 2018 Maintenance and...
Charles Walker: There are 184 statues and busts from the Parliamentary Art Collection on display within the Commons areas of the Palace of Westminster. Of this number, 62 portray former Members, and 122 portray other people of note. Within the Lords areas, there are 216 statues and busts on display. 42 of those portray former Members, 174 other people of note.
Charles Walker: The Commission notes that the Finance Committee has recently requested a briefing on the specific issues raised and the request for a review. The Commission will write to the Member after the matter has been considered and any recommendations made.
Charles Walker: All new Members returned at a General Election receive one-to-one meetings with members of the Registry Office at which the Code of Conduct is explained alongside their responsibilities in relation to the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Members elected at by-elections have similar meetings with Members of the Registry Office. The Committee on Standards has said that it intends to...
Charles Walker: Following the report from the Committee on Standards, Parliamentary Digital Service and the Registry Office established a project team to develop and deliver fully searchable registers and a new online interface for Members to register their interests. The initial phases of the project have been completed. The project board that oversees this work will now make proposals to the House...
Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers of 4 July 2022 to Questions 27553 and 27554 on Credit and with reference to Sponsor Designated legal advice, whether his Department, when issuing its debt, provides for its legal advice to be funded by the counter-parties buying that debt.
Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the total value of transactions in the UK debt market where the legal advice has been provided under Sponsor Designation by the borrower to the lender over the last 10 years; what assessment his Department has made of the potential risk that Sponsor Designation of legal advice poses to the debt market; and if he...
Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has raised concerns about the use of Sponsor Designated legal advice in the UK debt market with the (a) Financial Conduct Authority and (b) Solicitors Regulation Authority during the last five years; and if he will make statement.
Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will investigate the risk of a legal and best advice conflict of interest arising in cases where one party to a transaction both (a) chooses and (b) funds the legal advice of the counter-party; and if he will make a statement.
Charles Walker: Since 2016–17 it has been a requirement to publish the amounts paid for each financial year and these can be found on the Parliament website. The short money and Representative Money provided to each political party on an annual basis since 2015 can be found in the pdf attachment. The Short Money and Representative Money allocations scheduled to be paid for the current financial year (1...
Charles Walker: Parliament has not bought any plastic straws in the last 12 months.
Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK has a reciprocal arrangement with Spain on the mutual recognition of drivers licenses from each country; and if he will make a statement.
Charles Walker: The Parliamentary Travel Office (PTO) books train tickets through Evolvi. Rail tickets sold in the UK are regulated and the cost of booking tickets is the same irrespective of where the ticket is purchased. Parliament, however, receives commission from individual rail operators, where partnership agreements are in place – which effectively makes the overall cost to Parliament of booking...
Charles Walker: In March 2022, the House of Commons Commission published a joint statement with the House of Lords Commission in which it set out concerns about the approach being taken by the Restoration and Renewal Programme, and set out proposals for a new approach to the works and to the governance structure of the programme; and the intention to seek independent advice and assurance. The statement from...
Charles Walker: The House of Commons Commission has not made any such assessment but, when the House authorities are notified of an arrest, a safeguarding concern or certain other investigations relating to serious sexual misconduct, a risk assessment is undertaken. Individual risk assessments are confidential and only shared with those responsible for acting on them. The House of Commons Commission takes...
Charles Walker: The House of Commons Commission takes the safety of the Parliamentary community very seriously. The Commission has heard representations from trade union representatives on this matter and will give it further consideration at its meeting on 13 June.
Charles Walker: The House of Commons Commission takes the safety of the Parliamentary community very seriously. The Commission has heard representations from trade union representatives on this matter and will give it further consideration at its meeting on 13 June.
Charles Walker: The Commission has not carried out an assessment of potential disadvantages of taking steps to decolonise the Library of the House of Commons. It notes that the Library has been undertaking work to review and increase the diversity of its collection since August 2020 and that while it has engaged in knowledge exchange with institutions in the academic sector that are seeking to decolonise...