Many readers will know from the national news coverage or from reading this column that the Houses of Parliament are in dire need of repair. After nearly 200 years of continuous usage, and relatively little restoration work since World War II, the old buildings and utilities need a lot of work done just to prevent them from a catastrophic failure.
Much discussion has been made about the possibility of temporarily moving the House of Commons into another building nearby. It is not well known that actually thousands of people work in Parliament, it receives nearly a million visitors a year, and is in almost constant use. Few modern buildings could cope well with that sort of pressure, but the antiquated electrics, plumbing and safety measures are a real concern.
Since I have been a Government Minister in the position of Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, looking at the restoration and renewal of the building and how best to preserve it for the nation, and indeed the world (as a World Heritage site) has been something I have been looking at, and to that end I recently joined specialist architects on a tour of the basement of the Palace of Westminster – perhaps the most badly affected part of the building. This labyrinth of tunnels is still searched every year by the Yeoman of the Guard in their ceremonial uniforms before the State Opening of Parliament in case of another Gunpowder Plot!
The basement has problems with damp, subsidence, asbestos and huge amounts of outdated and potentially dangerous plumbing and wiring.
I heard from the electricians that some of the very old wiring and pipe layout was never mapped out accurately, so the only way they can find out what it does is by cutting the cable and finding out who complains about their office lights going out!
The Palace of Westminster is the most recognisable building in Britain abroad, and is an iconic symbol of Britain – and I think it is important that we preserve this building and the history of the country.