Ceremonial garments (2022)
Request
Please could I be supplied with a breakdown of expenditure on ceremonial/official garments since January 2019, including an itemised list by post-holder. Could this also include spending for deputy speakers’ clothing.
Response
Some information is held by the House of Commons in relation to your request. We hold information about:
Please note the following in relation to this information:
• This information is not held centrally and has been provided by the relevant departments. Therefore, some costs include VAT and others do not and these are marked in the table.
• The House of Commons provides ceremonial dress for more than 50 members of staff, which is worn daily as their uniform when the House is sitting, in order to help provide clarity about their roles.
• Additionally, staff are sometimes required to wear particular dress on ceremonial or state occasions, such as during the State Opening of Parliament. The Lying-in-State of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in particular required a larger number of staff to be provided with formal clothing.
• To ensure value for money for the taxpayer, the House of Commons continues to drive down costs by repairing and recycling uniforms whenever possible.
• The Speaker, Speaker’s Secretary and Speaker’s Chaplain are all new in post between November 2019 and February 2020, and the Assistant Secretary is new in post from July 2021.