from The Telegraph
Foreign and Commonwealth Office looks set to be ruled out as temporary home for peers while Houses of Parliament are repaired
Expensive bugging equipment fitted inside the Foreign Office could prevent peers from being relocated there while parliament is refurbished.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office had been eyed up as a potential temporary home while a multi-billion pound refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster is carried out.
The Palace of Westminster Photo: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph
The refurbishment must be carried out by the end of the decade because the building is suffering from widespread damp problems, mice infestations and is thought to be riddled with asbestos.
Reports into the state of the building have previously suggested that it would be better to knock down the building and start again, if it were not for its historical importance.
The difficulty in removing stockpiled surveillance equipment from the Foreign Office’s building has now hindered the plan to relocate peers while work is carried out.