Recent sale proceeds, including those from Grange precinct, have been used mainly to fund the remainder of the commissioners' development programme and to reduce borrowings. To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement on securing direct television feeds to hon. Members' offices from the Chamber. The installation of the necessary cabling and television sets was carried out during the summer recess. So far as individual hon.
Members are concerned, the hon.
Gentleman will be aware from previous answers on this subject that the Committee has approved in principle the supply of a feed to all Members' offices, provided that the service is available to all parts of the Parliamentary estate simultaneously. The Committee has also accepted, however, that because of the complexity and cost of the cabling work involved in such an undertaking, further progress must await decisions on the broader question of the provision of a parliamentary data and video network to Members' offices. Proposals on this Column 406 subject, which are currently under consideration by the Information Committee, are not expected to come before the House until the beginning of 1994 at the earliest. Members have given their employees a contract of employment. Members were directly paid salaries which were charged to the employing Members' office costs allowance.