“To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what steps the Client Board is taking to ensure that contractors from all parts of the UK are used in the restoration of the Palace of Westminster.”
Asked by
John Lamont
Answering Minister
the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board
Answer from Hansard
Nick Smith
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. The restoration and renewal programme is one of the UK’s biggest restoration projects. For example, it must deliver for small and medium-sized enterprises by creating apprenticeships, and skills and training opportunities all over the country. The original Act—the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019—stresses the need for the benefits of the works to be available across the UK. Over half of the delivery authority’s spend on supplies to date—for example, on surveys—has been to companies outside London and the south-east. The restoration and renewal client board is very clear that this programme must benefit the whole of the UK.