CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
MONEY
1. We accept that the trend towards controlling
and reducing the subsidy is a reality. Furthermore, we believe
that the Refreshment Department should be more actively trying
to lower costs in a way that does not affect the quality of the
goods and services provided. (Paragraph 29)
2. We have sought to establish whether there
are measures that can be taken to improve the quality of service
that Members and other users receive from the Refreshment Department,
while at the same time seeking to sustain the subsidy reduction
that has already been achieved. (Paragraph 29)
3. At times when Members are not around, such
as weekends and during recess periods, we believe the Refreshment
Department could become more proactive in its marketing and the
Parliamentary Estate could become more open to hosting appropriate
events. (Paragraph 31)
4. Matching human resources to demand is an ongoing
challenge for Refreshment Department management. (Paragraph 32)
STRATEGY AND INNOVATION
5. In view of the challenges it faces and
the desirability of co-ordination with the ten-year works programme,
we consider that the Department would benefit from a ten-year
strategy document, with objectives clearly set out in areas such
as: service levels, productivity, benchmarking, selling prices,
quality of product and staff training. (Paragraph 44)
6. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
prepare a draft strategy document for us to consider within three
months of the publication of this Report, with suggestions for
revised specifications and with timescales and key performance
objectives for each part of the service to deliver the strategy.
(Paragraph 47)
7. We recommend that an individual within the
Refreshment Department should take responsibility for encouraging,
gathering and analysing innovative ideas from both within and
outside the Department that might help to improve service delivery.
(Paragraph 49)
8. a survey several months after any changes
to the service might well be a useful way of monitoring customer
satisfaction, as long as it has high visibility to all those affected.
(Paragraph 51)
PRODUCTIVITY
9. We recommend that a productivity review
of the Refreshment Department should be carried out once a strategy
for the Department has been agreed to see if structural and operational
changes would help it to reach its targets more efficiently. (Paragraph
52)
PURCHASING
10. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
should investigate whether cost and labour efficiencies could
be achieved by reducing the number of suppliers used. Given the
difficulties of delivery to the Palace of Westminster and the
constraints on storage on-site, and in the context of an ongoing
study of the options for off-site security clearance of delivery
vehicles, we further recommend that the Department should consider
options for transferring some of its delivery operations off-site,
for subsequent onward delivery to the Palace by a sole operator.
(Paragraph 55)
BENCHMARKING
11. Benchmarking with the private sector
as well as the public sector is essential to ensure quality of
service. We recommend that the Department benchmark its services
strategically and consistently against catering businesses elsewhere,
including against high street venues that customers might use
in preference to its own facilities. Benchmarking reports should
be considered every six months as part of the Department's strategy.
The Department might benefit from the use of an independent benchmarking
service. Staff at all levels within the Department should be involved
in this benchmarking exercise. (Paragraph 57)
OPENING HOURS
12. Given the limited additional cost involved
and the apparent demand for such a service, we recommend that
the Refreshment Department should provide a limited service in
either the Terrace Cafeteria or the Despatch Box until 5.30 pm
in August 2006 on a trial basis to assess demand. (Paragraph 64)
13. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
should review the opening hours of facilities that are underused
at certain times, such as the service in the Members' Tea Room
on non-sitting Fridays, and should consider a reduced service,
in terms of menu, staff or space, if there would be a cost benefit
in doing so. (Paragraph 66)
PALACE DINING ROOMS
14. We consider that the time is right to
change the style of service in the Members' and Strangers' Dining
Rooms. Our preference would be for a brasserie-style restaurant,
with a simple menu changed on a regular basis, possibly supplemented
by a high-quality buffet. Similar changes have been made at venues
such as the Members' restaurant at the RAC City Clubhouse. If
carried out tastefully and in keeping with the heritage environment
of the Palace, this would have a number of benefits. The simpler
menus and service style should improve food quality and speed
of delivery, and should also in the longer term free resources
front of house and in the kitchens, some of which might go towards
improving quality, some towards more attractive pricing, and some
towards reducing the subsidy. (Paragraph 73)
15. We recommend that the Churchill Room should
offer a simple but excellent quality grill room menu. We understand
that this change should not be complicated or expensive to implement.
(Paragraph 74)
16. We look forward to discussing with the House
authorities how they envisage taking forward our proposals for
improved offerings in the dining rooms in the Palace and expect
to examine sample menus and draft timescales for conversion in
the coming months. (Paragraph 75)
17. The effect on usage of implementing the changes
to the Palace dining rooms that we have recommended needs to become
apparent before any changes to the access regulations for these
facilities should be considered. (Paragraph 77)
BANQUETING
18. We recommend that the banqueting service
offered by the House should be benchmarked against the offerings
of competitors at an early opportunity to ensure that customers'
preferences are being catered for as effectively as possible.
(Paragraph 78)
MEMBERS' TEA ROOM
19. We recommend that the Tea Room should
remain substantially as it is, but that its menu should be reviewed
with an eye to improving the quality of the cold counter, introducing
a counter for a limited range of hot food to be served within
the Tea Room, and increasing the extent to which dishes can be
prepared and plated within the Tea Room itself. (Paragraph 80)
TERRACE MARQUEE
20. We recommend that the Parliamentary Estates
Directorate prepare options for a replacement for the Terrace
Marquee with indicative costs for our further consideration. (Paragraph
81)
BARS
21. We recommend that any Refreshment Department
longer-term plans for the relocation of facilities within the
Palace should include looking for alternative locations for the
Strangers' Bar which would allow it to realise greater potential.
External advice should be sought on location and design. (Paragraph
82)
22. We recommend that detailed consideration
be given to options for introducing sandwiches and other light
pre-packaged snacks into the Strangers' Bar. (Paragraph 83)
23. We recommend no change to the Smoking Room.
(Paragraph 84)
24. We recommend that Annie's Bar should be closed,
and the pool table suitably relocated. Options should then be
put to us for alternative uses of the space. (Paragraph 85)
CAFETERIAS
25. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
should seek to improve the quality and freshness of sandwiches
and salads served in the cafeterias. (Paragraph 87)
26. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
should ensure that pricing in its outlets is based on a consistent
model and does not act as an artificial disincentive to the purchase
of healthier food and drink. We further recommend that the Department
should examine the feasibility of providing foods to meet special
requirements such as gluten-free, kosher and halal diets. (Paragraph
89)
27. We welcome the introduction of a pilot recycling
scheme in the cafeterias, and look forward to this being rolled
out as swiftly as possible to outlets across the Parliamentary
Estate. (Paragraph 90)
28. The most effective way of increasing the
popularity of Bellamy's will be to ensure that standards of food
and service—and pricing—compare favourably with other
venues on the Estate. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
should continue their proactive approach to promoting Bellamy's
cafeteria in 1 Parliament Street. (Paragraph 101)
29. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
erect clearly visible signage outside all outlets indicating the
appropriate access rules and showing sample passes for the avoidance
of doubt. (Paragraph 104)
30. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
make available through the Pass Office to all new passholders
on arrival a simple guide to the rules on access to its facilities,
as well as electronically on the Parliamentary Intranet. (Paragraph
105)
31. We recommend that a designated member of
staff should be posted outside the Debate and Terrace cafeterias
at lunchtimes on Mondays to Wednesdays for two weeks running and
then at regular intervals afterwards, tasked with controlling
access and advising passholders of the regulations. (Paragraph
106)
32. We recommend that civil servants should only
have access to the House's catering facilities when on specific
parliamentary business, and that they should be required to obtain
special passes to enable them to have this access. (Paragraph
108)
33. We recommend that temporary works contractors
should not be allowed to use the Terrace Cafeteria, and should
be advised of the alternatives available to them. (Paragraph
109)
34. We recommend that the redesign and refurbishment
of the Terrace cafeteria servery area should be an early priority
for the Refreshment Department and that external advice should
be sought on this redesign, incorporating best practice from providers
of similar facilities elsewhere. (Paragraph 110)
35. We recommend that all full passholders be
allowed to use Bellamy's Clubroom and that in the longer term
the use of the Clubroom and the gift kiosk in 1 Parliament Street
should be reconsidered. (Paragraph 112)
PRESS GALLERY FACILITIES
36. We recommend that the Press Gallery Cafeteria
should be made available to all full passholders as soon as possible,
but that only those categories of passholder currently permitted
to use it should be allowed to bring guests. (Paragraph 117)
37. The monthly press lunch is a valued event
which needs to be able to continue, but it is scarcely justification
for the continued running at public expense of a separate dining
facility for the press. (Paragraph 120)
38. It is vital that the catering facilities
that emerge after the Press Gallery refurbishment should be provided
at a significantly lower level of subsidy than those that exist
at the moment, and that the business case for their provision
at this expense should be capable of standing up to detailed public
scrutiny. A refurbished press gallery should not contain a separate
press dining room. (Paragraph 121)
RETAIL OUTLETS
39. We recommend that the range and pricing
of retail items sold on behalf of the House should be subject
to benchmarking and that there should be internal and external
review of the range of products available. (Paragraph 124)
REORGANISATION OF PALACE FACILITIES
40. We recommend that the Refreshment Department's
strategy should have a longer-term perspective, and that the Department
should bring suggestions to us for ways in which its accommodation
might usefully be reconfigured. (Paragraph 125)
LOOKING OUTSIDE THE HOUSE
41. We recommend that the Refreshment Departments
in the Lords and Commons formally share information on the usage
of their catering facilities and their selling prices on a regular
and recurrent basis. (Paragraph 127)
42. We recommend that the purchasing authorities
of both Houses continue to consider which areas would benefit
from joint procurement in the future. We expect the House of Commons
Refreshment Department to explore further joint working with its
Lords counterpart. (Paragraph 130)
43. We recommend that the Refreshment Department
should identify reasons why parts or all of its operations should
not be successfully contracted out in order to deliver a better
quality of service and value for money, and bring suggestions
to us by the end of October as to how this might be achieved on
a pilot or permanent basis. (Paragraph 132)
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