VISCOUNT DUNCAN, observing the Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests in his place, and knowing the interest taken by the noble Lord in all sanitary measures, wished to put to him a question which nearly affected the health of the Speaker and of every hon. Member of that House. He begged to ask, if the noble Lord could inform him at what date the new House of Commons was likely to be fit for occupation? Also, why other buildings, not immediately connected with the new House, such as the library, were not yet fit for the reception of Members, as it was understood they would have been by this time? And, further, why more progress had not been made in finishing the official residences, as the delay in their completion occasioned considerable expense to the country?
§ VISCOUNT MORPETHreplied, that he had been informed by the architect of the new Houses of Parliament, that he had no doubt the House of Commons would be ready for the reception of Members within fifteen or eighteen months after the arrangements for ventilating, lighting, and warming the House had been settled. He (Lord Morpeth) might take this opportunity of stating that the Government had thought fit to desire that Dr. Reid's projects with reference to those matters might be carried into effect. With regard to the 859 subsequent questions of his noble Friend, he (Lord Morpeth) had to state that further progress had not been made with the official residences, because it had been considered best to appropriate the sums which had hitherto been voted by Parliament to the entire completion of the shell of the building in the first instance. The library, he believed, was in a state of considerable forwardness; and he might add, that he had been informed by the architect that the residences of the Speaker and of other Gentlemen officially connected with the House would not be habitable with any degree of comfort until the exterior of the edifice was more advanced towards completion.