6 Conclusion
148. The gradually growing number of staff of
the House and Members' staff on the Estate set against a static,
even slightly decreasing, number of Members is a trend that has
been causing friction since at least the early 1980s.[137]
149. The numbers of staff of the House have increased
from 255 in 1960, to 938 in 1988, to more than 1,700 in 2006,[138]
in response to demands from the House, its Committees and Members.
Recent growth has been accommodated almost entirely within 7 Millbank,
which is now apparently close to capacity, with hot-desking introduced
in some Departments to maximise use of the space available.[139]
The number of Members' staff with parliamentary passes has scarcely
increased at all since 1988, remaining constant at around 1,300,
but a much larger number (1,230) are now provided with desks on
the Estate than ever before. These desks are generally in close
proximity to Members. Proposals for new staff of the House posts
are subject to a business case and must be approved by the House
of Commons Commission. The only controls over the numbers of Members'
staff on the Estate are limits on the numbers of passes available:
if every Member decided to locate three or four staff at Westminster,
space would somehow need to be found for these additional 700
staff.
150. The simple fact is that the Estate, despite
the opening of Portcullis House, is again reaching the point at
which it can no longer easily accommodate further growth. Demands
for any additional staffing for the House Service need to be considered
in this context. Control over the number of Members' staff can
best be achieved by encouraging Members to locate their staff
away from Westminster; but this will only be successful if they
can do so economically and in a way which suits their working
practices. Currently, some Members find it difficult to afford
a constituency office and are tempted to base all their staff
within the Estate. In an environment of high office rental costs,
to provide more of an equal playing field may require significant
targeted incentives. The costs of office accommodation for Members
and their staff at Westminster are met in full from the budget
for the House of Commons Administration rather than from Members'
allowances. Accommodation and related costs for staff located
in Members' constituencies might be funded in the same way: this
should be investigated.
151. It has not been the business of this Report
to examine the demand side of accommodation in great detail. There
should be a major assessment of exactly how many staff are required
by the House itself. The sevenfold growth in numbers of staff
of the House from 255 in 1960 to more than 1,700 in 2006, whilst
it may reflect many competing pressures, should need to be justified.
137 Select Committee on House of Commons (Services),
Second Report of Session 1987-88, Access to the Precincts of
the House, HC 580, Minutes of Evidence, p 17 Back
138
Ibid., pp 16-17; Ev 52, Figure 8 Back
139
Qq 62, 91 Back
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