The true scale of asbestos in the Palace of Westminster is so vast that MPs were in danger of inhaling the lethal substance, according to a report which recommends that MPs and Lords decamp for six years.
MPs will have to move out of the Houses of Parliament for at least six years as part of a restoration project.
MPs could move out of the Houses of Parliament for six years if they back a parliamentary committee’s recommendation of a temporary decant so restoration work can take place.
The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster will on Thursday recommend that MPs move into the nearby Department of Health with peers going to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, a committee source said.
According to The Times, Prime Minister Theresa May is set to back the call, increasing the likelihood that it will happen, but it will still be subject to a parliamentary vote.
The committee will recommend that the move takes place between 2022 and 2028, the source said.
The true scale of asbestos in the Palace of Westminster is so vast that MPs were in danger of inhaling the lethal substance, according to a report which recommends that MPs and Lords decamp for six years.
The mother of parliaments is so “riddled with asbestos” that the dangerous building material can be found in almost every shaft holding the palace upright, the report says.
MPs from the restoration committee have been deciding how best to renovate the building safely and cheaply. The prevalence of asbestos has added “greatly to the complexity, cost and timetable” of the works
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Houses of Parliament revamp to cost £30m to draw up
A study by Deloitte last year highlighted the appalling condition of the Palace of Westminster, with potentially deadly fire risks, collapsing roofs, crumbling walls, leaking pipes and large quantities of asbestos.
The committee of MPs and peers is set to back one of the options set out in the study – that there should be a full decant, estimated by Deloitte to cost between £3 billion to £4.3 billion – with the most likely figure £3.5 billion.
If politicians refuse to leave the building, patching it up to basic standards will take around 32 years and could cost between £4.9 billion and £7.1 billion, the June 2015 study said.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “We are awaiting the report and will respond in due course.”
The true scale of asbestos in the Palace of Westminster is so vast that MPs were in danger of inhaling the lethal substance, according to a report which recommends that MPs and Lords decamp for six years.
The mother of parliaments is so “riddled with asbestos” that the dangerous building material can be found in almost every shaft holding the palace upright, the report says.
MPs from the restoration committee have been deciding how best to renovate the building safely and cheaply. The prevalence of asbestos has added “greatly to the complexity, cost and timetable” of the works.
Source: The Independent
