Parliament may be destroyed by 'catastrophic' event, MPs warn

There is a risk Parliament could be destroyed by a "catastrophic incident" before repair works are carried out, a group of MPs has warned.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said there was a "critical need" to restore the building.

Up to £2m a week is being spent on repairs but there is still a growing list of health and safety incidents, some involving asbestos.

A Parliament spokesperson said work was under way to ensure people's safety.

The committee said the clerks of Parliament "finally seem to acknowledge publicly the enormity of this task, for which they are now personally accountable".

However, it said progress had been painfully slow with "years of procrastination" and that the focus has been on MPs rather than the thousands of staff and visitors who use the building.

Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, said: "There are already people on decades-long risk watchlists after being exposed to asbestos in the building; a building that's leaking, dropping masonry and at constant risk of fire."

The timeframe and cost of the repairs remain uncertain but the PAC warned that the cost will be high and that further delays are hugely costly to the taxpayer.

Dame Meg said that after years of debate and the "exploding costs" of restoring the Elizabeth Tower it was difficult to have confidence in the repairs for Parliament.

"But without Parliament and the public having that confidence these critical works will continue to stall, with the real risk that the whole building will be destroyed by a catastrophic incident before the work is done, or perhaps even begun," she said.

The clerks of Parliament and newly created programme structures "need to build confidence in their ability to deliver a programme of this magnitude and complexity," the PAC said.

The committee added that transparency and compliance with health and safety protocols, particularly around asbestos, urgently needed to improve before more work and potentially more serious incidents happen.

A UK Parliament spokesperson said: "Last year members of both Houses agreed a more integrated approach to restoration, prioritising safety critical work.

"The Restoration and Renewal Programme Board is shortlisting options for the restoration and members in both Houses are expected to vote on the way forward later this year."