Dear Ms Macey,

Freedom of Information F17-335

Thank you for your request for information dated 10 August 2017, received
by us on the same date, which is copied below.

We will endeavour to respond to your request promptly but in any case
within 20 working days i.e. on or before 8 September 2017.

If you have any queries about your request, please use the request number
quoted above and in the subject line of this email.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Price

IRIS Support Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of
Commons

[1]cid:image002.jpg@01D02B64.34D76640

Click [2]here for details about Freedom of Information

in the House of Commons and to see what we publish.

Dear Ms Macey,

Freedom of Information request F17-335

Thank you for your request for information, as copied below. You asked for
information relating to the cost of portraits taken of MPs in July.  We
have interpreted your request to be for information on the portrait
photograph session with Chris McAndrew, arranged by the Parliamentary
Digital Service.

1)  Please could you provide the six Shropshire and Mid Wales MPs cost of
their portraits that were taken in the House of Commons in July. 

Information relating to the specific costs of the individual portraits of
MPs is not held by the House of Commons.

The Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS) commissioned Chris McAndrew to
create a wide ranging set of images primarily for use on the UK Parliament
website, including portraits of MPs and some selected staff. The total
cost of the entire commission is £10,000 plus VAT, based on 10 full days
of photography work. This sum accounts for the MPs’ portraits, as well as
other work, and we are not able to disaggregate this figure and provide
costs for individual portraits as described in your request.

2)  Also if you could please confirm if this was tax-payers money.

Information relating to the funding of this portrait session is held by
the House of Commons. The commission was funded from the budget of the
Parliamentary Digital Service, and therefore paid from parliamentary (i.e.
public) funds, as part of on-going work to improve the quality of
information on Parliament’s website.

One of the goals of the service is to make sure that there is access to
clear, accessible and engaging information about Parliament. Every effort
is made to undertake this work in a cost effective way and the artist’s
fee is always agreed through careful negotiation.

You may, if dissatisfied with the handling of your request, complain to
the House of Commons. Alternatively, if you are dissatisfied with the
outcome of your request you may ask the House of Commons to conduct an
internal review of any decision regarding your request. Complaints or
requests for internal review should be addressed to: Information Rights
and Information Security Service, Research & Information Team, House of
Commons, London SW1A 0AA or [1][House of Commons request email]. Please ensure
that you specify the full reasons for your complaint or internal review
along with any arguments or points that you wish to make.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner
at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF,
[2]www.ico.gov.uk.

Kind regards,

Lauren

Lauren Puckey | IRIS Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of
Commons

Tel: 0207 219 4025 | Text Relay: 18001 219 4025 | Fifth Floor, 14 Tothill
St, London SW1H 9NB

[3]cid:image002.jpg@01D02B64.34D76640

Click [4]here for information about FOI in the House of Commons,

or to see what we publish.