The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.

It is difficult to estimate the precise amount of asbestos that is present in the Palace of Westminster because asbestos materials of various types have been widely used, over the years, often concealed in ducts and voids, and buried in the fabric of the building. Before the dangers of asbestos were known it was used extensively in building works due to its strength and resistance to heat and fire. Extensive surveying has been undertaken to inform Parliament’s management of asbestos and robust controls are in place which cover checking for the presence of asbestos and the safe execution of works. Asbestos-containing materials have been identified by completion of an Estate wide asbestos management survey and subsequent analyses where applicable.

Parliament’s Asbestos Management Plan complies with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and follows Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance. Risks associated with asbestos-containing materials are managed in line with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The plan is reviewed annually and has been independently audited.

All estates staff undergo Asbestos Awareness training and those responsible for instructing and arranging works on the Estate’s fabric have Asbestos Management training which provides information and advice about the dangers of asbestos, including asbestos-related diseases. Contractors and their staff are also required to undertake this training, or to provide evidence that they have done equivalent training.

The Acceptable Use Policy for Lords Members and staff is available on the intranet (https://intranet.parliament.uk/Documents/computers-equipment/Working-securely/Good-digital-citizen/Acceptable%20Use%20Policy%20v1.2.pdf) and at the Digital Service Drop-in. A very similar policy is in place for MPs; the Digital Service is currently working on a single Acceptable Use Policy.

Authorised personnel from the Digital Service manage the MessageLabs service.

All users of the Parliamentary Network are informed about the Acceptable User Policy every time they log on. Members are also asked to confirm that they have read and agree to the terms of the Acceptable Use Policy on hardware request forms.

All users, including Members, agree to abide by Parliament’s Acceptable Use Policy every time they log on to the Parliamentary Network. This policy makes clear that the Parliamentary Digital Service provides systems to protect Parliamentary users (and the network) from malicious attack.

The Messagelabs service is an important part of the infrastructure protecting Members and the wider Parliamentary Network against malicious attack. It is a fully automated scanning service which scans for and blocks emails that are potential vectors for cyber-attack. It also scans for and quarantines emails that are suspected spam, again using fully automated systems. It does not involve any other form of monitoring of the content of parliamentary email.

The Noble Lord may wish to take informal soundings about this possibility and to consider writing to the Convenor of the Lords Spiritual and Procedure Committee with a proposal.

Some light-touch monitoring of the Committee Corridor Writing Room is being undertaken. We are seeking to publicise the room as a flexible working space for Members to make use of, in the same way as the Peers’ Writing Room which is currently well used. Pressure on space is increasing as Members are decanted for essential works, such as fire life safety improvements.

As set out in the Standing Orders of the House of Lords Relating to Public Business: “When Her Majesty comes publicly to the House, the Lords shall be attired in their robes or in such other dress as may be approved by Her Majesty”. A proposal for robes other than those presently used would be considered by the appropriate authority.

The capital value of Members’ robes donated to the House is £217,453 (as reported in the House of Lords Resource Accounts: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-information-office/2015/HL-resource-accounts-2014-15.pdf). No public money was spent on acquiring these robes. The Administration does not capitalise other garments used by Members and staff of the House during the State Opening of Parliament. The House is self-insuring.

Catering and Retail Services stock a range of Fairtrade products, including tea, coffee, cake, biscuits and bananas. Catering and Retail Services raised awareness of these lines during Fairtrade Fortnight this year and ran related promotions.

The House of Lords does not employ any staff on zero-hours contracts on an exclusive basis. It employs 28 staff on zero-hours contracts in the Catering and Retail Services department, primarily for banqueting events. These are roles where staffing demands vary significantly week to week and are often unpredictable. The House also employs 22 freelance Hansard reporters. In order to meet overnight publication deadlines for Grand Committee debates, Hansard needs to supplement its permanent team with temporary reporters

Zero-hours staff employed by the House of Lords are free to turn down shifts offered by the House. They have equivalent employment rights to full-time staff including pension and holiday pay entitlements, which are better than those of most agency staff. All staff in the House of Lords, including those on these contracts, are paid at least the London Living Wage.

The works to the Cholmondeley Room toilets are not yet completed. They should be completed in the next month. The estimated budget is £650,000 (of which the Lords’ share is 40%).

A number of unforeseen technical difficulties mean that the works are slightly behind schedule; although two of the toilets have re-opened, some underlying problems are still being resolved.

State Opening is the major ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar and the Estate is significantly reconfigured for hosting it. Its traditions date back as far as the sixteenth century and it is the only regular occasion when the three constituent parts of Parliament meet: the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The event is broadcast to the nation by the main UK TV channels and also to many international networks with high viewing figures across the globe.

The security costs to the House administration in preparing for and conducting the State Opening of Parliament in each of the last five years are set out in the table below. These figures are additional to the fixed cost base for police officers and staff, tasked daily with protecting the Parliamentary Estate. They are indicative, due to the complex nature of police officer and staff allocation for a large scale operation.

Estimates of other costs are set out in the table below. These include supply and fit of additional structures, preparations of the interior, additional lighting, move and reinstallation of the vehicle security barrier, construction costs of reconfiguring the Lords chamber and Royal Gallery, building media facilities within the Palace of Westminster, storage of equipment throughout the year, and other domestic and administrative costs.

The costs for 2016 are based on estimates only at this stage, because not all invoices have yet been received from relevant suppliers. Some costs are annual rather than tied to a particular State Opening of Parliament; these annual costs have been attributed to the next State Opening.

Since 2015, a proportion of overtime has been captured specifically in relation to the State Opening of Parliament. This accounts for the apparent steep increase in overall ‘other’ costs for that and the subsequent year, but it should be noted that these costs always existed, but were assigned to separate budgets.

The House of Lords pays a proportion of these costs, many of which are costs from services shared with the House of Commons. This information does not represent the full cost of State Opening, as costs will also have been incurred by other bodies, which may include Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Household.

The total cost to the House of Lords for the services provided by Electoral Reform Services (ERS) in respect of the recent Liberal Democrat hereditary peers’ by-election was £300. This includes VAT at 20%.

As with other by-elections, there was one fee for all services provided. There was no separate fee for the cost of ERS supervising and conducting the count.

When the need for a by-election arises ERS are engaged to administer and supervise the by-election and provide assurance that it conforms to good electoral practice.

The Lords Members’ Personal Safety and Security booklets cost £673.02 to design and print. We take the security of Members extremely seriously and regularly update our advice and guidance on the steps they can take to help keep themselves, their staff and their families safe. This was a longstanding, routine update on a booklet which has previously existed in a number of different editions.

The House Committee considered this matter at its meeting on 3 May. The Committee agreed that, in response to the letter from the Clerk of the House of Commons about the debate, I should write to the Chairman of the House of Commons Administration Committee in the following terms:

“I am writing further to the backbench debate on printing record copies of public Acts of Parliament on vellum. I have consulted the House of Lords House Committee in preparing this reply.

As you know, this House agreed in 1999 to move to printing Acts of Parliament on archival paper instead of vellum. We are persuaded that printing on archival paper is a more appropriate use of public funds, and that the case for continuing to print on vellum is not made.

If, in the light of the debate, the House of Commons wishes to arrange a contract for printing record copies of public Acts on vellum then the House of Lords Administration will gladly share experience of managing the legacy contract to assist you in making any such arrangements. I am sure you will appreciate that this House does not wish to contribute financially to any future printing on vellum. It is also important that we ensure the longevity of any public Acts, as the Clerk of the Parliaments must certify a record copy of them.

Perhaps at our next regular meeting it would be possible for us to discuss some of the points made in the debate. I am, as ever, grateful to you for all your help in this matter.”

I wrote accordingly on 4 May.

The House has engaged Electoral Reform Services (ERS) to assist with each hereditary peers’ by-election. When the need for a by-election arises ERS are engaged under a standing agreement to administer and supervise the by-election and provide assurance that it conforms to good electoral practice.

The table below shows the date of the count of the last four Hereditary Peers By-elections for which invoices have been received and the amount paid to Electoral Reform Services in respect of each.

Amounts are exclusive of VAT. The table does not include a recent by-election in respect of which Electoral Reform Services has provided services but not yet sent an invoice.

In addition to the services they provide in administering and supervising by-elections, engaging Electoral Reform Services provides assurance that by-elections conform to good electoral practice.

The chairs are in existing storage facilities.

The works are due to be completed before June 2016. Alternative facilities are available down the corridor, which are signposted. The refurbishment of these toilets includes replacement of worn and damaged fixtures, and addressing a number of issues including drainage and ventilation. The Administration and Works Committee is received regular updates on progress.