Eye-watering cost of trying to rid the House of Commons of rats revealed
MORE than £1million has been spent trying to rid the House of Commons of rats.
The last financial year’s bill was £126,000, the ninth year in a row it has topped £100,000.
Tory MP Dame Andrea Leadsom has told of finding rats rummaging through the rubbish bin in her office.
And mousetraps line the walls of the Commons restaurants.
Droppings were spotted 19 times last year, some of them “in clear view” in kitchens and the famous Strangers’ Bar.
Despite the fortune in taxpayers’ cash spent, revealed by Parliament, there were still 326 rodent sightings last year plus reports of them gnawing through cables.
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The pest predicament has seen Parliament’s food hygiene rating plunge to two out of five.
In addition, hawks were hired for £13,500 to scare off pigeons and seagulls.
These costs - covering the entire Parliamentary estate - are not solely about rat control and include moths and mice control as well.
A UK Parliament spokesperson said: “Parliament is a safe place to work and eat, with robust food safety and hygiene processes in place. We are committed to maintaining a humane and ethical pest control programme, focussed on preventative measures and, where necessary, the use of various control methods. Value for money remains a key consideration and we will, as ever, continue to follow all legislative and regulatory obligations.”
