The Houses of Parliament have implemented and gained certification to ISO 22301, the international BCM system standard from the British Standards Institution. Being a UN World Heritage site and icon of national identity was among the unique challenges for the design of its business continuity management system, as well as the importance of the political dynamic; the traditions and rules of procedure that provide the basis for ‘business as usual’ activities and the dual nature of Parliament and its decision making processes.

Martin Fenlon, business resilience coordinator for the Houses of Parliament commented: “We have a responsibility to ensure Parliament can sit and be seen to be sitting as and when required. In order to deliver this we needed to develop a business continuity management capability. As a confident, competent organisation we wanted to follow industry best practice, which is why we pursued certification to ISO 22301.

“During the assessment process we worked with BSI to identify opportunities for improvement as well as affirming areas of good practice. The building blocks are now in place for an effective BCM system; however the next step is to embed our business resilience arrangements in a changing business environment.”

Lorna Anderson, global technical manager at BSI commented: “An effective business continuity management system can go much further than a plan for delivering ‘business as usual’. It is about building a secure foundation to enable a business to adapt quickly and change in line with the market - protecting current operations but also building a platform for future growth. Our clients tell us that by putting effective BCM processes and structured, exercised continuity plans in place, they have increased capability and agility to respond to challenges and are not only more likely to survive but in many cases thrive

“By gaining certification, the Houses of Parliament has demonstrated to the public and key stakeholders they take their responsibilities seriously and follow industry best practice. This is testament to the hard work that has gone into ensuring their critical services remain resilient.”

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