69. The Palace of Westminster is in urgent need of repair and restoration. In recent weeks, the potential risks to Parliament have become more urgent given the tragedy of the Notre Dame fire. Both Houses of Parliament have approved the decision to decant from the building so that work can proceed as quickly as possible. This is action that the Public Accounts Committee recommended as early as March 2017.88 So far, this project has already been hampered by indecision and procrastination. This indecision has led to a domino effect with the scale of the problem getting worse and worse the longer decision-making was put off. Now, as this monumental task gets underway, value for the taxpayer's money must be at the top of the agenda.
70. As a world heritage site, the Palace comes under UNESCO rules; this means that the UK Treasury is responsible for funding the building and making sure it is preserved as a world heritage site, and the National Audit Office will have oversight of the spending. Parliament is currently considering the legislation to establish the governance arrangements for restoration and renewal. The Committee will be keeping a watching eye on the progress of this crucial project.
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88 Committee of Public Accounts, Delivering restoration and renewal, Forty-Fifth Report of Session 2016-17, HC 1005, 10 March 2017