Lords motion to take note of the report from the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons and the Corporate Officer of the House of Lords, Restoration and Renewal: Annual Progress Report 2024 (HC 228). Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to take note of the report from the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons and the Corporate Officer of the House of Lords, Restoration and Renewal: Annual Progress Report 2024 (HC 228). Agreed to on question.

My Lords, noble Lords know well that extensive and complex work is required to restore and preserve the Palace for future generations. I suspect, too, that noble Lords share my frustration that we are not further forward than we are. What I intend to highlight as I open this debate...

My Lords, noble Lords know well that extensive and complex work is required to restore and preserve the Palace for future generations. I suspect, too, that noble Lords share my frustration that we are not further forward than we are. What I intend to highlight as I open this debate...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the Senior Deputy Speaker. I put on record my thanks to him and all those on the two commissions, the programme board for its work and the client team. I apologise to the Committee because I will be saying nothing that...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the Senior Deputy Speaker. I put on record my thanks to him and all those on the two commissions, the programme board for its work and the client team. I apologise to the Committee because I will be saying nothing that...

My Lords, it is a delight to follow the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, with whom I have had many encounters over the years. I thank the Senior Deputy Speaker for a characteristically thorough, rigorous, courteous and careful report, but decisions have to be made. It is now just on 10...

My Lords, it is a delight to follow the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, with whom I have had many encounters over the years. I thank the Senior Deputy Speaker for a characteristically thorough, rigorous, courteous and careful report, but decisions have to be made. It is now just on 10...

I commend the noble Baroness on what she is saying. Perhaps she will recall that on this issue—perhaps not on others—I backed her to the hilt as the shadow Health Secretary, and nearly lost my place on the shadow Cabinet as a consequence but was praised enormously by Tony Blair....

I commend the noble Baroness on what she is saying. Perhaps she will recall that on this issue—perhaps not on others—I backed her to the hilt as the shadow Health Secretary, and nearly lost my place on the shadow Cabinet as a consequence but was praised enormously by Tony Blair....

That has made my day.

People do notice. Various vice-chancellors kept writing and saying, “We’ve got a new project or development, and we wouldn’t have had that without the decision”. This is not supposed to be a vain speech in any way; I am just trying to gird us up to...

That has made my day.

People do notice. Various vice-chancellors kept writing and saying, “We’ve got a new project or development, and we wouldn’t have had that without the decision”. This is not supposed to be a vain speech in any way; I am just trying to gird us up to...

My Lords, we are at last now reaching the critical decision-making phase in relation to the restoration and renewal of this building. I should say up front that although I am currently a member and deputy chair of the R&R programme board, and chair of its sub-board, I am speaking...

My Lords, we are at last now reaching the critical decision-making phase in relation to the restoration and renewal of this building. I should say up front that although I am currently a member and deputy chair of the R&R programme board, and chair of its sub-board, I am speaking...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Gardiner, for his very clear annunciation of the report. It is tempting to look backwards, to dwell on the sorry story of complete failure of political will and the shocking neglect of our heritage. To an extent, it is inevitable that this...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Gardiner, for his very clear annunciation of the report. It is tempting to look backwards, to dwell on the sorry story of complete failure of political will and the shocking neglect of our heritage. To an extent, it is inevitable that this...

My Lords, I realise that as a chartered accountant, my remarks will be quite different to those of some of the other speakers, and I apologise for that in advance. Noble Lords have already had a very clear exposition of the project from the Senior Deputy Speaker and my noble...

My Lords, I realise that as a chartered accountant, my remarks will be quite different to those of some of the other speakers, and I apologise for that in advance. Noble Lords have already had a very clear exposition of the project from the Senior Deputy Speaker and my noble...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Morse, who set out the scene wisely on how we manage a future that will undoubtedly change.

I thank the committee, the staff and the contractors for their work on this marathon of marathons. I also thank ParliAble for...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Morse, who set out the scene wisely on how we manage a future that will undoubtedly change.

I thank the committee, the staff and the contractors for their work on this marathon of marathons. I also thank ParliAble for...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton. With her customary clarity and passion, she raised a number of interesting issues that I hope very much are paid attention to as these three options are worked up. We had two interesting speeches from my...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton. With her customary clarity and passion, she raised a number of interesting issues that I hope very much are paid attention to as these three options are worked up. We had two interesting speeches from my...

My Lords, I am delighted to follow the Convenor of the Cross Benches—the noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull—who does such a great job for all of us Cross-Benchers. As he mentioned, I was a member of the board of the R&R sponsor body for its full existence, and, three years ago,...

My Lords, I am delighted to follow the Convenor of the Cross Benches—the noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull—who does such a great job for all of us Cross-Benchers. As he mentioned, I was a member of the board of the R&R sponsor body for its full existence, and, three years ago,...

My Lords, before I address the report, will noble Lords allow me to digress a little? My interest in this building and, subsequently, R&R came about when I was a member of your Lordships’ Finance Committee. There were two incidents while I was a member that made me realise: there...

My Lords, before I address the report, will noble Lords allow me to digress a little? My interest in this building and, subsequently, R&R came about when I was a member of your Lordships’ Finance Committee. There were two incidents while I was a member that made me realise: there...

I am really enjoying this. Forgive me but I have to conclude, after only 10 years—well, nine and a half years—in your Lordships’ House and 28 years down the Corridor, that the default position in the Palace of Westminster is always to say no.

I am really enjoying this. Forgive me but I have to conclude, after only 10 years—well, nine and a half years—in your Lordships’ House and 28 years down the Corridor, that the default position in the Palace of Westminster is always to say no.

I extend my thanks to the Senior Deputy Speaker and his office for the time they spent with me following my Question for Written Answer on this subject; I worded my Question loosely but they were most helpful in ensuring that I was provided with all the information I sought.

I...

I extend my thanks to the Senior Deputy Speaker and his office for the time they spent with me following my Question for Written Answer on this subject; I worded my Question loosely but they were most helpful in ensuring that I was provided with all the information I sought.

I...

My Lords, I hesitate to follow such a display of expertise and service to the House as has been displayed in the debate this afternoon. My only experience in construction was, as head of my Oxford college, bringing in a building that then cost £12 million on time and within...

My Lords, I hesitate to follow such a display of expertise and service to the House as has been displayed in the debate this afternoon. My only experience in construction was, as head of my Oxford college, bringing in a building that then cost £12 million on time and within...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness; I agree with every word she said. I worked on the Channel Tunnel as an engineer for 15 years under Sir Alastair Morton, and I have to tell her that we did meet in the middle. We had a...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness; I agree with every word she said. I worked on the Channel Tunnel as an engineer for 15 years under Sir Alastair Morton, and I have to tell her that we did meet in the middle. We had a...

My Lords, it is a privilege to end this debate and to follow the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley. Indeed, it does feel like Groundhog Day. We have all, I think, been here before. In September 2016 when the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster published a report setting out...

My Lords, it is a privilege to end this debate and to follow the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley. Indeed, it does feel like Groundhog Day. We have all, I think, been here before. In September 2016 when the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster published a report setting out...

I am grateful to the Senior Deputy Speaker for allowing me to slip into the gap. I was not planning to speak, but I do so after the challenge from the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, who wondered what the new Members—and, dare I say, some of the younger Members—felt. Being...

I am grateful to the Senior Deputy Speaker for allowing me to slip into the gap. I was not planning to speak, but I do so after the challenge from the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, who wondered what the new Members—and, dare I say, some of the younger Members—felt. Being...

My Lords, the phrase I used when I began about sharing frustration has been articulated in one way or another by all noble Lords. At the root of this is responsibility but also our profound concern about a building that symbolises so much of which we should be so proud...

My Lords, the phrase I used when I began about sharing frustration has been articulated in one way or another by all noble Lords. At the root of this is responsibility but also our profound concern about a building that symbolises so much of which we should be so proud...