PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(8 September 2026)

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to (i) extend the life of the UK Parliament Education Centre beyond 2030 and (ii) extend the Education Centre’s facilities.

Asked by:
Mark Pritchard (Conservative)

The Parliamentary Education Centre welcomes 80,000 UK schoolchildren annually for a tour of the Palace of Westminster, a lesson tailored to the curriculum and, whenever possible, an opportunity to meet their Member of Parliament.

The temporary planning and licence agreements for the current site of the Education Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens are due to expire at the end of 2030. In October 2026, the Administration Committee is expected to consider options related to continued provision of the Education Centre’s services during the period prior to the commencement of R&R in order to inform a decision by the House of Commons Commission in the following months.

The longer-term location and proposal for the Education Centre is dependent on the decision by the Houses on the way forward for the Restoration & Renewal (R&R) Programme. Parliamentary debates are expected following the publication of the R&R Client Board’s costed proposals report (HC Paper 1576) earlier this year.

Answered by:
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