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facilities for children in westminster
Facilities for children in Westminster
Added: 2 September 2005
When the current Palace of Westminster was designed in the 1830s, facilities for children were not part of the plan. These days, limited childcare facilities are available to those working in the Houses of Parliament but, unfortunately, Members of Parliament themselves are not offered any assistance.
Despite the fact that there are now 127 female Members of Parliament, there are no plans to introduce any further facilities for the use of Members. As Kitty Ussher MP recently reported in the Guardian, the lack of facilities meant that she had to be excused from the whip until the next Parliamentary session. Her article can be found here.
Childcare Vouchers
Childcare vouchers are available to Members' Staff, but there is no mention of whether or not these are available to Members themselves.
Playscheme
The Westminster Holiday Playscheme runs during every school holiday in three of the Government departments, and is available to the children of anyone working in the Houses of Parliament.
Changing Facilities
Baby changing facilities are open to visitors and can be found in the disabled-access WC off the Lower Waiting Hall, and on the second floor, next to the WCs behind the Pulpit on the Upper Committee Corridor. There is also a babycare room here.
Further Information
Further information on all of the above childcare facilities available to Members' Staff can be found on the Department for Finance and Administration's intranet site. There's a link from the Parliamentary Network homepage.
