Written questions by Chope.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish the details of the 12 asbestos incidents in the Palace of Westminster to which reference is made on page 25 of the report entitled Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals, published on 5 February 2026.

The table below outlines the twelve asbestos related incidents since 2016 which have occurred in the Palace, as outlined on page 25 of the R&R Costed Proposals Report.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, what works are currently being undertaken to remove or isolate asbestos in the Palace of Westminster; and how many operatives are engaged in those works.

Over the last 12 months, a total of 40 tasks has been carried out by the Licensed Asbestos Removal Contractor within the Palace of Westminster to seal, encapsulate, or remove asbestos containing materials.Asbestos removal will take place as part of maintenance and project works:1. Where asbestos presents safety risks to delivery of project works.2. Where asbestos is likely to result in risks in relation to ongoing maintenance and business as usual activities.3. Where asbestos has been identified by a risk assessment to require removal due to the level of risk to building occupants.The House Administration employs an Asbestos Compliance Manager who oversees asbestos surveys and removal activities and provides specialist advice to maintenance and project teams across the Estate.The House Administration also holds contracts with an asbestos consultancy, which maintains three permanent site‑based staff to undertake surveys and inspections, and with a Licensed Asbestos Removal Contractor, which provides two permanent site‑based staff to manage asbestos removal and remediation works required for maintenance and construction projects.Where a section of the Estate is temporarily handed over to a contractor as a controlled construction zone with restricted access, they may use their own licensed asbestos teams. They are required to liaise with the Asbestos Compliance Manager and, once the area is handed back, ensure all asbestos removal activity is fully logged.The number of staff deployed by these contractors varies according to operational requirements, including during recess periods when asbestos removal works are more frequently scheduled.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reason the escalator from the House of Commons Members' car park does not cut off automatically when not in use.

The escalator is fitted with controls that allow the speed to vary dependent on demand and, in periods of low demand, runs at a slow speed to be energy efficient.The design of the escalator is such that it does not stop completely – this is a safety feature to ensure that anyone travelling on the escalator is not subjected to any sudden movements which could cause them to lose balance. This is usual in many high traffic areas in buildings of this type.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, for how many days lift number 77 in the Palace of Westminster has been out of order this year; for what reason it remains out of order; and when it is expected to be operating again.

Lift number 77 (HOP77) has been out of order for a total of 51 days in 2025 over four occasions, the most recent of which was 47 days.HOP 77 was returned to service on 7 November 2025 following the replacement of a printed circuit board which controlled the door opening mechanism.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, how many dedicated charging points for electric vehicles belonging to hon. Members are available in the House of Commons underground car park; how many and what proportion of those charging points are fast chargers; whether those charging points are free at the point of use; and whether an estimate has been made of the average cost to the public purse of electricity consumption from the use of those charging points during a sitting week.

There are two dedicated electrical vehicle charging points in the underground car park. This is supplemented by 12 key controlled socket outlets that provide trickle charging. Owners with certified and PAT tested chargers can request a key to use the sockets for trickle charging. There are no fast chargers.The New Palace Yard Underground Car Park Project is exploring the installation of new charging points. Users of these charging points would be expected to pay for the service. Currently charging is free at the point of use. No estimate has been made of the cost as consumption from these points is not measured separately.