1 Joint departments of the Houses of Parliament

(1) The Corporate Officers may establish joint departments of the Houses of Parliament.

(2) A joint department has the functions that the Corporate Officers allocate to it from time to time.

(3) The Corporate Officers may divide, amalgamate or abolish joint departments.

(4) Their powers in connection with joint departments include power—

(a) to acquire, hold, manage and dispose of land and other property of any description;

(b) to enter into contracts;

(c) to do anything reasonably necessary or expedient for or incidental to their powers.

(5) In this Act—

• “Corporate Officers” means the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons and the Corporate Officer of the House of Lords;

• “joint department” means a department established under this section.

2 Exercise of functions of the Corporate Officers

(1) The Corporate Officers' functions in connection with joint departments are exercisable by them only jointly.

(2) Subsection (3) applies to—

(a) the exercise of functions under section 1(1) or (3);

(b) the exercise of functions under section 1(2), if it changes the overall character of the services provided by the joint department.

(3) In those cases—

(a) the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons may act only with the approval of the House of Commons Commission;

(b) the Corporate Officer of the House of Lords may act only in accordance with recommendations made by the House Committee of the House of Lords and approved by that House.

(4) In subsection (3)(b) the reference to the House Committee includes a reference to any committee the House of Lords designates instead of that Committee for the purposes of this section.

3 Staff

(1) The staff of a joint department are appointed by the Corporate Officers and must be employed under a contract of employment with them.

(2) The Corporate Officers must ensure—

(a) that the pay of staff is kept broadly in line with pay in the Home Civil Service;

(b) that, so far as is consistent with the requirements of both Houses of Parliament, the other conditions of service of staff are kept broadly in line with those in the Home Civil Service;

(c) that the pensions and similar benefits of existing and former staff are kept in line with the provisions of the principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, as it applies for the time being to the Home Civil Service.

(3) Subsection (2)(c) does not apply to existing or former staff if provision for pensions and similar benefits—

(a) was made for them under another scheme before they joined the joint department, and

(b) continues to be made under that scheme in respect of their service in that department.

4 Staff transfers

The Schedule (staff transfers) has effect.

5 Application of enactments

(1) An enactment applying in relation to persons employed under a contract of employment with the Corporate Officer of the House of Lords applies in the same way in relation to staff of a joint department.

(2) For the purposes of any enactment relating to either House of Parliament, anything done by or on behalf of a joint department or in relation to it is done by or on behalf of each House or in relation to each House (as the case may be).

(3) This section applies to enactments whenever passed or made.

6 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Parliament (Joint Departments) Act 2007.