business plan of the house of lords administration 2018/19 · the aim of the house of lords...

Business Plan of the House of Lords Administration 2018/19

HOUSE OF LORDS

Published by the authority of the House of LordsHL Paper 109

2 | Business Plan of the House of Lords Adminstration

2018/19 | 3

Contents

Introduction by the Clerk of the Parliaments 4

Our aim 5

Strategy for the House of Lords Administration 2016-21 6

Our priorities 7

Delivering our core business 8

Core business of the House of Lords Administration 9

Context: our challenges and opportunities 10

What we will deliver during 2018/19 12

Resources 16

Corporate risks 18

Performance measures 19


Introduction by the Clerk of the Parliaments

I am delighted to introduce the Business Plan for the House of Lords Administration 2018/19.

This plan sets out our activities over the next twelve months in support of our strategic aim and objectives. The plan rightly emphasises the importance of ‘business as usual’. As a demand-led organisation, the work we undertake on a daily basis in support of members is the core of our work and the principal means of meeting our aim and objectives. This work is being given renewed urgency and importance from the demands placed on the House by the Brexit process and much of our activity over the coming year will rightly be focused on supporting the House’s role in scrutinising and legislating for Brexit.

But that is not all we are doing. Importantly, both Houses have decided to vacate the Palace of Westminster to enable the programme of work to renovate the fabric and services in the Palace to proceed in the most expeditious and cost-effective way. We are beginning the process of planning how to ensure the continuity of services for the House during the period the works are underway, and of identifying options for refitting the Lords part of the Palace. This is a long-term programme, with the Houses not expected to leave the Palace until the mid-2020s, and it will increasingly dominate our work.

To ensure that we as an Administration are ready to meet those challenges, I have identified four priorities. These priorities – adapting and innovating, providing excellent services, becoming a unified Administration, and embedding diversity and inclusion – are designed to underpin our strategic aim to support and strengthen the House and its members in carrying out their Parliamentary functions. These priorities are also evident in a number of the activities contained in this year’s plan of work, and I look forward to working with staff and members in developing them further over the coming year.

Ed OllardClerk of the Parliaments

2018/19 | 5

Our aim

The aim of the House of Lords Administration is to support and strengthen the House and its members in carrying out their parliamentary functions.

This business plan sets out how we, the Administration, plan to do this during 2018/19.

We will achieve this through the hard work and talents of our 574 Lords staff, and the many bicameral staff who support the work of both Houses of Parliament.

There is also a significant financial investment to support and strengthen the work of the House, with a resource budget of £132m for 2018/19.

The plan has been approved by the House of Lords Commission, chaired by the Lord Speaker, and represents our agreement with the Commission about how we will support the House over the coming year.

The plan is framed by the Strategy for the House of Lords Administration 2016-2021, which was agreed by the Commission in 2016. The Strategy is shown overleaf. (A more detailed version of the strategy is available online.)

https://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-information-office/2017/Strategy%20Implementation%20plan%202016%20-%202021.pdf

of 7

Objective 2: Promote public understanding of the House of Lords and engagement with

its work

Objective 1: Provide effective services to

facilitate the work of the House

Objective 3: Make Parliament safer, more

secure & sustainable

STRATEGY FOR THE HOUSE OF LORDS ADMINISTRATION 2016 - 2021

Our strategic aim is to:

Support and strengthen the House and its members in carrying out their parliamentary functions

To achieve our objectives, we will:

Improve the Administration’s flexibility and responsiveness

Continuously improve value for

money

Be a skilled, diverse, inclusive and agile workforce

Work in new ways, maximising the

potential of digital tools

Work collaboratively, inclusively and in

partnership

Our work will be informed by the following values:

Respect for the role of the House

Impartiality Integrity Diversity, inclusion and respect for others

Responsibility to taxpayers, society and the environment

To assess and measure our performance, we will:

Seek regular feedback, including through surveys with members, staff and the

general public

Evaluate the impact and effectiveness of our activities

Take account of best practice in other organisations

Improve the tools we use to monitor and assess performance

2018/19 | 7

In order to help us deliver the Strategy, in June 2017 Ed Ollard, the Clerk of the Parliaments and Chief Executive of the Lords Administration, set the following priorities.

We have been using these to help deliver our core work as set out on the following pages. We also plan a small number of initiatives to take these priorities forward, set out on page 15.

Adapting and innovating

The next few years will bring change and challenges to the House of Lords, including supporting Parliament’s work on Brexit and making a success of Restoration and Renewal. We need to build on our existing professional skills and expertise, and be ready to exploit the opportunities new technologies offer for how we work. This will require us to be flexible and responsive in order to adapt to changing requirements and circumstances, as well as prepared to examine how we work now and how we will meet the demands of the future.

Providing excellent services

Providing excellent services to members, the public and colleagues across the Administration and Parliament is central to what we do as an organisation. We need to understand how our services work for those who use them. Our aim is to provide a service that feels seamless and optimised to meet their needs, and doesn’t require the user to know how we are organised in order to interact with us successfully. This applies not only to the services we deliver to our members, but the ones we deliver to each other.

Becoming a more unified Administration

We have a lot of different skills within our teams, and we need to consider how they can be shared and used to best effect, not only in our individual offices but across the Administration. This will enable us to meet the changes and challenges ahead and to provide our staff with a stimulating and varied working environment. This will help our staff to develop their careers in an Administration that feels like a single entity.

Embedding diversity and inclusion

The Administration is committed to creating an inclusive culture and valuing diversity. We must ensure that diversity and inclusion are central to all of our work. By making all of our staff and the public feel welcome and included, the Administration will contribute more effectively to parliamentary democracy by better reflecting the public as a whole.

Our priorities


Delivering our core business

We are focused above everything else on delivering great services to support and explain the work of the House. This diagram shows how we are organised to deliver our key services.

Parliamentary ServicesBlack Rod’s Department

(Doorkeepers, access, ceremonial)

Committee Office (Scrutiny by Select Committees)

Hansard (Record of proceedings)

Journal Office (Procedural advice, publication of House documents, registry)

Legislation Office (Bills and delegated legislation)

Library (Research)

Registrar of Lords’ Interests

Financial Resources

Finance Department (Payroll, accounting, financial planning, Members’ finance)

Communications

External Communications

Internal Communications

Corporate ServicesClerk of the Parliaments’ Office (Support for Management Board

and Domestic Committees, business planning, risk and performance management.

Internal Audit)

Overseas Office

Lord Speaker’s Office (Includes support for Commission)

Information Compliance

Human Resources

Human Resources Office (Recruitment, pensions, staff)

Support ServicesFacilities

(Office accommodation, including reception and cleaning services)

Catering and Retail (Catering outlets, retail service)

Parliamentary Security Department (PSD)

Security of estate, members, staff and visitors

Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS)

Digital support for members and staff, development and

implementation of new technologies

Strategic EstatesMajor works

Parliamentary Procurement and

Commercial Service

Education, Outreach and Visitor Services

Parliamentary Archives

In-House ServicesMaintenance and works

projects

House of Lords services Bicameral services

Core business of the House of Lords AdministrationData illustrating the work of the House of Lords Administration

Deal with

350,000transactions in catering outlets

Reach out to

232,000 twitter followers

Support over

30,000 visits to the public

gallery

Let over

350 contracts

and process over

16,000invoices

Help Members to table around

4200 amendments to bills

and

6500 Questions for

Written Answer

Support over

1000 visits to the Parliamentary

Archives search room and

6000 inquiries

Provide digital services and support to

some

800 members and

600 staff

Organise and support

around

140sittings of the House

60sittings of the Grand

Committee and

600select committee

meetings

providing quality meeting facilities,

research and supporting

documentation, and transcription/

broadcasting services

Produce

280research briefings

Prepare and publish

around

150 committee reports

Provide property and office support

for the Members and staff on the Parliamentary

Estate

In a typical year, House and bicameral staff will:1

1 Data relating to sittings of the House are an average of the past four parliamentary sessions

(2013-14 through to 2016-17). Other data mainly relate to the 2016/17 financial year. Data on Twitter followers is as of December 2017.


Context: Our challenges and opportunities

Brexit

The Administration is supporting the House’s planning for possible changes in the level and format of parliamentary business as a consequence of the referendum result that the UK should leave the EU. An increase in scrutiny and legislative work can reasonably be expected, but the exact nature, level and timing are not certain. Offices are planning, so far as possible, to be able to deal with these uncertainties and to support fully the work of the House.

Size of the House

The Lords Speaker’s committee on the size of the House reported in October 2017 and suggested that, over the next decade, the membership of the House of Lords should be reduced by around a quarter to 600. The size would then be capped at that number, with new members appointed in line with election results and serving fixed terms of 15 years. The House debated the proposals in December 2017, and the Prime Minister set out her response in a letter to the Lord Speaker on 20 February 2018. Discussions were continuing at the time of writing.

The Parliamentary Estate

Following debates on how to proceed with the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster, both Houses agreed in 2018 that a full decant of the Palace was the best and the most cost-effective delivery option, as recommended by the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster. The first step in taking that option forward will be the establishment of a Sponsor Board and Delivery Authority, initially in “shadow” form but subsequently by legislation, to develop a business case and costed programme for the work to be approved by both Houses of Parliament.

The decant of both Houses is unlikely to take place before the middle of the next decade. Alongside that work, there will remain a need to invest in ensuring that the Palace continues to provide an appropriate workplace for members and staff alike, and a safe environment for those visiting Parliament, and to ensure that the buildings on the Lords part of the Parliamentary Estate outside the Palace are developed to enable them to be used effectively both now and subsequently to support the decant. For example, the work on renovating the 5 Great College Street portion of Millbank House will be completed later in 2018, and it is anticipated that work will begin to refit Fielden House in 2019. In both spaces, the intention is to exploit opportunities to support new ways of working.

2018/19 | 11

Security

The safety of members, visitors and staff is always a vital priority for the Administration. Following the terrorist attack of 22 March 2017 a security review was completed, the conclusions of which informed the existing schedule of ongoing security enhancements for the Estate.

The decision to give cyber security a high priority in recent years was justified by Parliament’s ability to respond effectively to the cyber attack in June 2017. In light of the worsening global threat, cyber security will remain a high priority. While a major programme of investment is scheduled to conclude in 2018/19, there will be continued focus and ongoing work in subsequent years.

The overall vision for Parliament’s digital strategy is to deliver excellent digital services for a modern Parliament. A key element of this strategy is to provide secure technology that works.

Economy

For work planning purposes only, our core assumption is that the economy is likely to remain in a similar position as in previous years, with growth, inflation and employment remaining at similar levels.

Context: Our challenges and opportunities


What we will deliver during 2018/19

As well as continuing to deliver our core services which will be the focus of much of our work over the course of the next year, we have identified 27 key deliverables which will help us to deliver the Strategy in future.

Deliverable Target date Lead business area

Support Brexit-related scrutiny work, including supporting the House’s planning for possible changes in the level and format of parliamentary business, and delivery of such work. This will include additional resources and also support for the informal Brexit liaison group chaired by the Senior Deputy Speaker.

No specific target date: ongoing throughout 2018/19

Parliamentary Services(specifically Committee Office, Legislation Office, Library)

(Accountable Board Member: Clerk Assistant)

Support the Liaison Committee review of investigative Committee activity led by the Senior Deputy Speaker, and implement agreed recommendations.

2018/19 Committee Office

(Clerk Assistant)

Support further work on the size of the House if and when mandated by the House.

No target date set: dependent on decisions of the House

Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office, Journal Office

(Clerk of the Parliaments)

Roll out Office 365, Skype for Business and Windows 10 for House of Lords members and staff.

O365: Lords staff by December 2018, Members as part of Windows 10

SfB: Lords staff by June 2018, Members by March 2019

Windows 10 by June 2019

Digital Service

(Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service)

Continue to develop the Journal Office as the Procedural Centre, in particular establishing the core functions of a Procedural Centre of Excellence.

March 2019 Journal Office

(Clerk Assistant)

Ensure that effective policies and processes are in place and that action is taken against bullying, harassment and sexual harassment. This includes taking forward, with the House of Commons, the detailed recommendations of the Cross-Party Working Group on an Independent Complaints and Grievance Policy.

End 2018, subject to political agreement across both Houses

Human Resources Office, Journal Office,Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office

(Clerk of the Parliaments)

Consult and then take action aimed at addressing the gender pay disparity as highlighted in the first gender pay gap report.

Consultation conducted and actions agreed by end July 2018

Human Resources Office(Clerk of the Parliaments)

Key activities: Objective 1 (provide effective services)

2018/19 | 13

Key activities: Objective 2 (promote public understanding and engagement)


Continue work to deliver a website fit for purpose for the House of Lords and for Parliament as a whole, specifically by adding committee data, bills data and research briefings.

Committee data, bills data and research briefings to be operational by September 2018

Parliamentary Digital Service, supported by Communications

(Accountable Board Member: Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service)

Continue to develop the House of Lords social media strategy in collaboration with the Digital Service, and explore the opportunities to extend the Enquiry Service and Press and Media functions to our digital platforms.

Media rebuttal, responding to public questions and correcting information, and increasing use of AV to highlight key moments from business by September 2018

Communications

(Director of Corporate Services)

Explore generation of captioning on broadcast and webcast outputs and so meet D&I needs for persons with hearing impairments.

Position paper written by March 2019 End target date: 2020/21

Hansard

(Clerk Assistant)

What we will deliver during 2018/19



Develop and implement the security programme.

Complete the Strategic Outline Programme Case by July 2018

Parliamentary Security Department

(Accountable Board Member: Director of Security)

Complete delivery of the cyber security programme.

Key outcomes and benefits achieved by March 2019

Parliamentary Digital Service

(Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service)

Continue essential works programmes including conclusion of the Millbank House development project and launch of Fielden House refurbishment project.

Occupation of new Millbank House offices by August 2018

Start on site Fielden House by December 2018

Department of Facilities, working with Strategic Estates

(Director of Facilities)

Complete Fire Life Safety Improvement Works.

End 2018 (life safety works only). Fire Safety Improvement Works programme scheduled to conclude June 2020

Strategic Estates


Support development of plans for Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster, including governance arrangements, decant of the Lords, conduct of the work, and long-term requirements for the Lords.

Shadow Sponsor Board to be established by mid-2018

Restoration and Renewal Programme, working with Department of Facilities and other Lords offices

(Clerk Assistant)

Continue planning to decide long-term future location of the Parliamentary Archives (Archives Accommodation Programme) and specifically approve strategic outline programme case.

Strategic Outline Programme Case to be approved during 2018

Archives Accommodation Programme


Use new Parliamentary Safety Assurance Board to drive improvements in health and safety in order to achieve the objective of ‘moderate’ assurance for construction safety on the Parliamentary Estate.

March 2019 Department of Facilities


Introduce non-Member sponsored banqueting and events.

First non-Member sponsored banqueting event to take place by September 2018

Department of Facilities


Implement effectively the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and the anticipated Data Protection Act 2018.

GDPR comes into force 25 May 2018 (work will continue after this date to manage privacy and security risks on an ongoing basis)

Information Compliance, Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office


Key activities: Objective 3 (make Parliament safer, more secure and sustainable)

2018/19 | 15

Key activities to support our priorities


Through the Working Differently initiative, increase flexibility in where, when and how we work, improving our ability to meet the needs of the House.[Adapting and innovating]

Support HRO in revisions to staff handbook by September 2018Lessons learned from move to 5GSC by December 2018On the basis of Administration-wide framework, each office to hold discussion, identify actions appropriate for their area, and produce plan by December 2018

Business Improvement and Change team and Human Resources Office

(Director of Human Resources and Director of Corporate Services)

Deliver change management training to key staff across the Administration.[Adapting and innovating]

End 2018 Human Resources Office, supported by Business Improvement and Change team

(Director of Corporate Services and Director of Human Resources)

Develop and initiate robust system of qualitative research into Members’ views of our services.[Providing excellent services]

First round of interviews completed by September 2018

Communications

(Clerk Assistant)

Based on that research, make improvements to Members’ experience of our services.[Providing excellent services]

Work on initial survey findings by January 2019

Business Improvement and Change team, working with relevant offices


Deliver work on Job Families to support cross-Administration development opportunities for staff.[Becoming a unified Administration]

May 2018 Human Resources Office(Accountable Board Member: Director of Human Resources)

Implement improved risk management framework with greater support for risk management at office level, and implement new set of Key Performance Indicators.[Becoming a unified Administration]

End 2018 for risk management; April 2018 for KPIs

Governance team, Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office(Director of Corporate Services)

Introduce a new staff performance management system.[Becoming a unified Administration]

April 2019 Human Resources Office(Director of Human Resources)

Launch of Learning Disabilities Work Experience Week in partnership with Mencap.[Embedding diversity and inclusion]

End October 2018 Human Resources Office(Director of Human Resources)


Resources

Financial Plan 2018/19 to 2020/21This business plan is underpinned by a financial plan which was agreed by the Commission in December 2017. Much work and expenditure is bicameral and our planning is therefore carefully co-ordinated with the House of Commons.

Budget for next three years

The House of Lords’ budget over the next three years is as follows:

2018-19 £m 2019-20 £m 2020-21 £mResource 132.3 117.3 127.7

Capital 65.9 70.9 53.4

The increases in capital budget arise from Parliament’s Medium Term Investment Plan. A one-off increase in resource in 2018/19 allows £12.5m for a revaluation adjustment when building work on Millbank House is complete. Resource budgets for business-as-usual areas show some growth to allow for pay and other inflation. Costs relating to security will increase to reflect the current security environment, the work relating to the security programme and the impact of the expansion of the northern boundary of the Parliamentary Estate. ICT will also increase due to a variety of programmes relating to cyber-security, Office 365, infrastructure renewal and IT maintenance. For members’ allowances and expenses, the financial plan assumes 145 sitting days in 2018/19 and 140 in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

The table below breaks down the 2018/19 figures by budget category.

2018-19 £mCapital investment 65.9Staff costs 34.2Members allowances and expenses 22.4Estates current expenditure 25.4Other shared services 7.5External services 10.2IT and IS services 8.2Grants 1.5Office supplies 0.4Publicity and exhibitions 0.3Printing and publications 0.9Catering and Retail Services trading costs 2.0Reserves 1.8Strategically managed costs 0.5Non-cash costs 22.7Receipts (5.7)GRAND TOTAL 198.2Resource total 132.3Capital total 65.9

2018/19 | 17

“Other shared services” covers services shared with the House of Commons other than those relating to the Parliamentary Estate and the Parliamentary Digital Service.

“Strategically managed costs” contains central provision for other significant costs which are expected to arise but are uncertain, and for other expenditure for which business cases are expected and are yet to be approved.

Investment

Parliament’s Medium-Term Investment Plan (MTIP) is available online. It brings together investments in the Estate and ICT plus strategic programmes for Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster, Archives Accommodation, Relocation Contingencies and the House of Commons Northern Estate. The House of Lords shares are included in the Medium Term Financial Plan.

For Restoration and Renewal, the House of Lords pays 40% of Palace and Programme costs (as for the Palace generally) and 100% of Lords decant costs. These budgets may transfer to a different Estimate in due course. For Archives Accommodation the Lords pays 60%, as for the Archives generally.

ICT budgets are mostly shared with House of Commons, with the House of Lords paying 30%. For Relocation Contingencies, the House of Lords pays a 40% share.

Financial remit

The financial remit set by the House of Lords Commission is to “adhere to the savings target of not increasing the resource budget in real terms (compared with 2010/11), subject to the need to maintain the ability of the House and its Members to carry out their parliamentary functions in changing circumstances including increased attendance, and subject to exceptional adjustments reflecting property revaluations”.

The budget for 2018/19 complies with this remit – in real terms our resource budget for 2018/19 is lower than it was for 2010/11, despite the rise in the size of the House, reflecting consistent delivery of efficiencies and savings across the Administration over the past decade. The projection for 2019/20 also meets the remit, however the current projection for 2020/21 does not.

During 2018/19, the remit for future years will be reviewed in light of increasing pressures for investment in security and the fabric of the Estate. Spending plans for future years will be re-evaluated in the light of that review.

Resources

https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/financial-information/medium-term-investmen-plan/


Corporate risks

In January 2018 the Board agreed to manage an updated set of corporate risks.

The corporate risks as of March 2018 are:

• Cyber-attack against parliamentary systems causes serious disruption to the strategic plan objectives and to the work of Members and their staff.

• Failure to keep secure the Parliamentary Estate, members, staff and visitors.

• Failure to have enough of the right people in the right place with the right skills at the right time, to facilitate the work of the House.

• Failure to manage, secure and exploit House information effectively.

• Ineffective relationship with stakeholders affects the Administration’s ability to achieve its strategic goals.

• Failure to prevent infrastructure failure, fire, or health and safety incident in the Palace of Westminster or any Lords building on the Estate.

• Failure to manage financial resources effectively.

Following the corporate risk review, during 2018/19 a review of office risks will be undertaken. Together these reviews will enable the Administration to better address risks and uncertainties, and ensure actions are being taken at both corporate and office level to mitigate them.

We will work closely with the House of Commons and the bicameral Enterprise Portfolio Management Office, and wherever possible and appropriate will align our work.

2018/19 | 19

Performance measures

From the start of 2018/19, the Management Board will assess the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

Objective 1 – supporting the work of the House

• House and Grand Committees sit as planned, without disruption• Member feedback on procedural services• Key procedural documents and briefs: timeliness• Key procedural documents and briefs: accuracy• Coverage of House Business by Library briefings• Timeliness of Library briefings• Parliamentary Network availability• Parliamentary Digital Service response and resolution times

Objective 2 – promoting public understanding

• Impact of Parliamentary Outreach and public engagement• Customer satisfaction with Visitor Services tours• Satisfaction with Education Service provision• Engaging the public through digital communications• Sentiment of media coverage of the House• Effectiveness in responding to FOI requests• Speed of publication of Acts of Parliament

Objective 3 – making Parliament safer, more secure and sustainable

• Maintenance• Cleaning• Security • Efficiency in processing pass applications• Meeting environmental targets• Health and safety

Supporting objectives

• Staff morale indicator• HR and management performance indicator• Diversity indicator• Managing financial resources• Processing payments and payroll• Making financial information available• Procurement: customer feedback• Outstanding internal audit recommendations• Catering and Retail Services: net subsidy• Satisfaction with shared services

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