HC Deb 18 June 1852 vol 122 cc936-7
MR. W. WILLIAMS

said, he wished to know if the New Buildings at Somerset House had been sanctioned by the House, or if the noble Lord the Chief Commissioner of Works was prepared to come down and ask the House to vote the amount required for them, and had they any estimate of the expense?

The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

said, that as the hon. Member had only given a general notice of his intention to ask for information respecting Somerset House, his noble Friend (Lord J. Manners) was not aware of the particular information required; but, as he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) happened to be acquainted with the facts, he would state, in reply to the hon. Member, that it was not the intention of Her Majesty's Government to ask for any Vote for the buildings in question. An extremely wise arrangement had been made by their predecessors in office which the present Government was prepared to carry out, and the object of the new buildings was to bring all the branches of the Inland Revenue Department under one roof, without which a real consolidation was impossible. While there was a local distribution of offices they could have no real consolidation of any department, and, for the sake of economy and of the public service, Government were carrying out the present arrangements. As to the question of expense, he had great pleasure in telling the hon. Member that the buildings and offices relinquished would be worth much more than the expense incurred by effecting the consolidation.

MR. HUME

said, he wished to ask if the Government had followed the recommendations of the Committee on Naval and Military Expenditure with regard to the residence of the First Naval Lord of the Admiralty, and if they were prepared to carry out, for the sake of economy and the public service, the removal of the Board of Admiralty, so as to bring them all under one roof?

MR. W. WILLIAMS

said, the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer had not answered the most important part of the question he had asked. He objected to making any outlay of public money without the sanction of the House, and wanted to know if the Government had had an estimate of the expense?

The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

replied, that of course neither the present nor the late Government would have taken such a step without an estimate.

Subject dropped.