The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. Key stakeholders including the Clerks, both Speakers and the Chief Whips were advised that a full evacuation of the Palace of Westminster, including both Chambers while sitting, was necessary to test processes under realistic conditions and to assess the effectiveness of existing fire evacuation arrangements. The advice reflected a requirement identified by the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate following an inspection in November 2024 that a full test of the Palace’s evacuation procedures should be undertaken at a busy time and occupancy. Previous drills had taken place on a non-sitting day, when only minimal numbers of staff, members and visitors were present.

The exercise was intended to respond to the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate recommendation, familiarise Members and staff with evacuation procedures, test arrangements for disabled and other vulnerable people, evaluate the effectiveness of training and fire safety systems, and identify any lessons to strengthen future emergency preparedness.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. It is understood that there are currently 14 Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) in place for members of the House of Lords. The nature of the exercise means it is not possible to identify whether and how every PEEP holder participated in it.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The House of Commons was fully involved in the evacuation drill. For the purposes of evacuation, the Parliamentary Estate is treated as a single zone. Accordingly, the House of Commons Chamber was also evacuated during a debate.

The London Fire Brigade was informed in advance of the exercise. Its control room was notified and remained in contact throughout the drill. The local Borough Commander and the Station Commander from Soho were also informed. A representative from the London Fire Brigade's Risk Management Team attended and observed the exercise in order to provide feedback. In addition, the Chief Inspector from the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate attended to observe the evacuation.

The evacuation took a total of 15 minutes from commencement of the exercise until all members of the public and staff, excluding security personnel and designated observers, had left the building.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The evacuation was a pre-planned fire evacuation exercise. The drill had been approved by the relevant senior stakeholders, including the Lord Speaker, the Clerk of the Parliaments, Black Rod's Department and the party Chief Whips. The Services Committee had not been informed of the drill in advance, but had supported the initiative in previous discussions.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The evacuation was a pre-planned fire evacuation exercise. The drill had been approved by the relevant senior stakeholders, including the Lord Speaker, the Clerk of the Parliaments, Black Rod's Department and the party Chief Whips. The Services Committee had not been informed of the drill in advance, but had supported the initiative in previous discussions.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. As of 29 June, following its official launch on 19 May, 14 members have visited the Digital Coaching Hub for advice or to request one-to-one coaching. The service provides informal, expert, hands-on support on a range of topics, including on artificial intelligence, parliamentary digital tools, cyber security, accessibility features, telephony, and inbox management.

The launch followed a successful six-week trial in the Salisbury Room prior to the Christmas recess, during which 179 interactions were recorded. While the service was well received, feedback indicated that the location was not suitable. Consequently, Room 27 (First Floor, West Front) was established as the permanent hub. A sustained programme of targeted communications is planned to build awareness, increase engagement, and support future demand for the service. This will be rolled out in the Autumn.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. There are 822 manual fire alarm call points across the Palace of Westminster. In addition, there are 65 emergency voice communication points to enable assistance to be requested during an evacuation. There are several hundred emergency fire exit signs across the Palace. These comprise both free‑standing and fixed signage. A single definitive total is not held centrally.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The most recent full fire practice evacuation of the Palace of Westminster took place on 19 May 2025, before either House began its sitting. Approximately 1,300 people were evacuated safely and the exercise was completed within a short period, with limited disruption. The evacuation was reviewed by the relevant fire safety teams, and a minor issue relating to the audibility of the fire alarm in certain areas was identified and addressed.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. 828,242 mail items were received on the Parliamentary Estate in 2025. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 25 per cent of these items were destined for the House of Lords. These figures do not include courier items or internal mail. Please note that this figure refers to the whole Parliamentary Estate, not just the Palace of Westminster.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.  In total, 20 individual responses were received on the total redesign package, offering varying views on different aspects. Specifically on the proposed change of font, which was covered in nine of the responses, two were in favour, three did not offer a preference and four preferred the current font. Some concerns were also raised about the front page and the suggested design was amended accordingly. The redesign remains a work in progress and will be reviewed again by the House of Lords Services Committee alongside further consultation with Members before any decision is taken.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The suggested redesign of the printed version of the House of Lords Official Report, in which the change in font is one element, has not been finalised or approved, so there are as yet no formal quotes from the third-party supplier, but the expectation is that costs would be low. The House of Lords Services Committee will be provided with the estimated costs before any final decisions are taken.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. Hansard initiated the paper proposing changes to the design of the printed version in consideration of contemporary accessibility standards. The existing design does not conform to contemporary accessibility standards in several ways. The justified layout is generally regarded as more difficult for visually impaired and dyslexic people to follow, and the serif text requires more effort to read than non-serif fonts. This work is being done in tandem with House of Commons Hansard, with which post-production processes are shared, so a divergence of approach would be likely to increase costs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether an ethical investment policy is in place for the Queen's private estate.

One of the revelations we saw in the Paradise papers was an investment by the royal estate in the shambolic and exploitative company BrightHouse, which preys on and exploits many of my constituents. Does the Minister understand the absolute anger in Glasgow East at that revelation, and what is he going to do about it?

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that some of the investments that the Opposition have talked about were made in 2005, under the previous Labour Government?

When was the ministerial code last equality-proofed, and by whom?

I congratulate Her Majesty the Queen, Duke of Lancaster, and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on their platinum wedding anniversary, and I pay tribute to their decades of public service to our country.

Her Majesty voluntarily pays tax on all income received from the duchy. The duchy’s investment strategy is based on advice and recommendations from its investment consultants.

No discussions have been held with the Prime Minister or the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Queen's private estates as these investments were made between 2002 and 2005.

As part of my role as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster I meet with the Duchy Council who update me on issues on Duchy affairs.

Financial records are held by the Duchy of Lancaster. Details of the finances of the Duchy of Lancaster are published annually in a formal report. These are available on the Duchy of Lancaster website: https://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/financial/accounts-annual-reports-and-investments/