MPs Feel The Heat

Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning was irate at the lack of facilities for large numbers of memebers of the public, especially in this unusually hot weather, and raised the matter with the Speaker on Wednesday.
A large group of Penning's constituents had come to petition parliament - and were being forced to stand outside in temperatures of over 35 degrees. He wanted to know what indoor facilities could be provided.
Ususally large groups of petitioners would be accommodated in Westminster Hall. The Speaker said the hall was at present like a building site. There is a huge amount of building work at the front of the Palace of Westminster creating a new state-of-the-art 'visitors centre', which will no doubt be as security-laden as the rest of parliament, if not more.
The Speaker was sympathetic to the inconvenience of standing in such heat:

" The hon. Gentleman mentioned people who are demonstrating outside. They have the democratic right to come to Parliament and express their concerns to Members. The temperatures outside are exceptional; I have never experienced such temperatures in the 27 years that I have been coming to London every week—it was exceptionally warm when I was out at 8 o'clock this morning.
"I will ask the Serjeant at Arms to look into the possibility of at least making available water facilities—bottled water or cool water, perhaps—because it is unreasonable to expect people to stand in such heat. I will instruct the Serjeant at Arms to see what we can do, at the very least to find water for visitors."

The new centre is being dug under Cromwell Green, with ramps from street level. When complete, all visitors will pass through security at this sub-ground level, entering the Palace through the north door of medieval Westminster Hall. The ugly black portacabins containing x-ray machines outside the present St Stephens Entrance will be removed. There will also be no unsightly queues of people outside the building.