4 WHAT A REFRESHMENT SERVICE
SHOULD PROVIDE
24. It is our aim that the House of Commons should
have a service that Members and others working on and visiting
the Parliamentary Estate use by choice rather than because of
a lack of alternatives.
25. We consider that the core functions of a service
should be as follows:
i. The provision of good quality, affordable
food and drink, served quickly and professionally and in congenial
surroundings.
ii. Outlets should be conveniently located, especially
for those with business in the Chamber and in Committees, with
sufficient accommodation for those who wish to sit and eat and
also provision for those who wish to take their food away.
iii. Outlets should offer a range of service
styles from the more impressive (for functions and the entertaining
of official guests) to the more functional (general access cafeterias
and take-away facilities), meeting the business needs of the different
groups of core users—Members, staff and the public.
iv. The retail outlets should offer attractive,
good quality merchandise that makes an appropriate use of the
House's image and reputation.
26. Despite a continuing need for the House to provide
a catering service at unusual hours when the House or its committees
are sitting, as recently acknowledged by Members during a debate
on the House of Commons Commission Annual Report, [18]
there have been changes to the House's working practices in recent
years. House business is concentrated into fewer days of the week
than in the past, although not fewer hours overall. The numbers
of Members' staff and House staff have increased, and the House
has opened up facilities to the public.
27. There have also been changes to the needs and
preferences of Members and other customers which need to be reflected
in the services provided. Whilst not all Members will agree with
these changes, most will admit that they are an increasing reality.
The following changes that we have identified are widely reflected
in the venues available outside the House:
i. An increasing preference for less formal
and faster service styles. Outside the House, formal silver
service dining has largely made way for brasserie-style venues
with multi-skilled staff. There is also increasing pressure for
good quality take-away food, especially at lunchtime. It is perhaps
indicative that the two most heavily used outlets are the Terrace
Cafeteria in the Palace and the Debate Cafeteria in Portcullis
House, both of which are informal and both of which offer take-away
food and drink.[19] Our
survey of the cafeterias on 9 November showed that 50 per cent
of transactions were for food or drink to be taken away.[20]
Of the sit-down restaurants available, the Adjournment Restaurant,
with its more informal brasserie style of dining and modern menus,
attracts more customers in the course of a week and has greater
sales income than any of the other more traditional table-service
dining rooms, except the Strangers' Dining Room, which has substantially
more seating.[21]
ii. The modern diversity of expectations and
changing tastes. Whereas in the past, tastes and expectations
may have been relatively uniform, there are clear differences
today between those who prefer traditional menus and service styles
and those who prefer more modern fare. Demand is increasing for
healthier food and there is a growing expectation that the Refreshment
Department will seek to accommodate special dietary needs and
to procure its produce with an eye to sustainability. We return
to these issues at paragraph 88.
18 HC Deb, 3 November 2005, cols 335-378WH Back
19
Ev 28-30 Back
20
Ev 39 Back
21
RD evidence, Schedule 5 [not printed] Back
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