asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, since the temperature for the last 30 working days of the Palace of Westminster has been 5°F above the maximum heating standard level, he will now take steps to reduce it.

The average temperature in the Palace during the 30 days between 30 October and 7 December was 69·9°F—less than 2°F above the Government's temperature limit. Given the limitations of the antiquated heating system, about which I have already informed my hon. Friend, I believe this is acceptable. The resident engineer will continue to make every effort to comply with the Government's heating limits, but during November many more complaints were received about coldness than about excessive heat in the Palace.