Contribution
My Lords, on behalf of these Benches, I express our most sincere condolences to Parthe Ward’s colleagues in the Library and everyone who knew her. She was clearly a highly regarded person, and across the House we were all shocked and saddened to hear of her death. She is greatly missed.
I too echo the thanks to everyone who works to keep the House running smoothly. There are times when I suspect it is rather like the swan: all appears calm and serene, but I am sure there is lots going on underneath.
My first tribute is to Gordon Hunt. Gordon worked as head cashier for more than 25 years before retiring this May. He has a warm, approachable personality and was well respected by colleagues in the catering team and by staff across the administration. He was an exceptionally knowledgeable and diligent member of the team, with a keen eye for detail, which is useful in a cashier and in finance. He was often the first point of contact for many colleagues, helping to resolve many and various issues, and going above and beyond the call of duty to help his colleagues. Gordon was a well-liked member of the team and is missed by all his colleagues. He will, however, now have more time to watch football—he is a proud supporter of Fulham Football Club—follow the cricket and spend time with his grandchildren. Given Fulham’s past fortunes, watching them will be more enjoyable now than previously.
Peter Linge’s colleagues wrote an essay, which shows how popular he is. This is a shortened version. Peter was senior commercial manager in the Parliamentary Commercial Directorate. He had worked on parliamentary procurement projects since 1977 and moved over full time to the Parliamentary Estate on secondment in 1991. The House authorities obviously spotted a good thing, because they made him permanent 16 months later, and Peter worked here ever since. For the majority of the time between 1977 and 1991, he was involved with some of the procurements involving Parliament, including the first competitively tendered maintenance contract for the Great Clock and phases of the external stone cleaning and restoration project. For more than 17 years, Peter was the only procurement support for the then Parliamentary Works Directorate. He worked on a large number of procurement projects, including the cast-iron roofs, Operation Marquee and Millbank House. However, he was at pains to say that he was not involved at all in the procurement around Portcullis House.
Considering Peter’s exceptional accomplishments and significant contributions to the commercial field within Parliament, he is highly deserving of this mention in the House. His tireless efforts have undoubtedly had a profound and lasting impact on Parliament as a whole. Beyond his official responsibilities, Peter consistently went above and beyond to actively mentor colleagues. His significant corporate memory has been invaluable to colleagues, and he will be missed. Outside work, Peter has a wide range of interests, in particular researching his ancestry. Associated with this activity, he is a member of the Society of Genealogists. He has recently taken to horology, and has an interest in working on historic clocks, servicing and repairing many grandfather clocks dating back to the 17th century. He loves pre-1960s films and old gramophone records and is a keen amateur discographer—yes, I had to look that up.
Mark Ogden started in the House of Lords in October 1993 and at the point of his retirement this year had completed more than 30 years’ service. Initially, Mark was employed as a porter, but the following year he moved to the catering department as a kitchen porter under the direction of the then executive chef Mark Thatcher. After some time in the kitchens, Mark moved to the catering stores as a storekeeper, ensuring the smooth handling and transition of all catering deliveries, and that they got to the right department of the right kitchen intact and on time. In 1998, Mark moved to the House of Lords Gift Shop as a senior sales assistant, where he remained until his retirement in 2024. In between filling the shelves and replenishing, Mark would be on hand to offer his exemplary standard of customer care, assisting Members, staff and visitors with purchases or inquiries. Mark was a very popular and respected member of the catering and retail team. This was also shown through his role as a trade union representative within that team. Members of staff were always happy to approach Mark for advice and support, and he was always ready and willing to provide it. The whole catering team wish Mark a happy and healthy retirement, as do we. It will provide him with the opportunity to spend more time following his beloved Millwall Football Club. Unlike the Millwall fans’ chant, it is clear that everybody likes him, and they do care.