HC Deb 15 August 1867 vol 189 cc1570-1
MR. CANDLISH

said, he would beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works, Whether, seeing that the designs selected for recommendation, are at variance with the Resolutions of the Royal Commission, and have not met with the approval bestowed upon others by the Judges and Officers of the several Departments, seeing also that the element of cost has been ignored in the selection, the Report of the Judges of Designs having been made before the several estimates had been tested by the Surveyor appointed by the Treasury, whose Report is in favour of the design approved by the Commission, Her Majesty's Government will re-consider the Question, and again consult the Royal Commission before any further step is taken; and, whether the Surveyor's Report of the cost of such plan will be printed, and distributed to Members? He apologized to the House for the somewhat obscure framing of that Question, which had been put into the hands of the Clerk at the Table without the necessary revision. He begged now to put to the noble Lord the First Commissioner of Works the various points involved in that Question in a more direct and intelligible form.

LORD JOHN MANNERS

said, he hoped the hon. Gentleman would excuse him for not entering into what he might call the controversial part of his Question, which ought, indeed, properly to have been addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury, as the Treasury and not the Office of Works was now in communication with the Judges of Designs. He understood the fasts to be these—The Judges of Designs had sent in a Report to the Treasury which was not regarded as carrying out fully the duties imposed upon those Judges. That view had been made known by the Treasury to the Judges of Designs, but there had been no time yet for any reply to be returned. Under those circumstances, it was impossible for the Government at present to comply with the suggestions of the hon. Member.

MR. CANDLISH

asked, whether there would be any objection to produce the Surveyor's Report as to the cost of the various designs submitted to him?

LORD JOHN MANNERS

said, he thought it would be better not to submit those plans, designs, or reports piecemeal to the House, but that they should be produced, when the proper time came, altogether.

SIR PATRICK O'BRIEN

asked, whether it was true that they were to have plans made up partly out of one design and partly out of another?

LORD JOHN MANNERS

said, that was exactly the point touched by the hon. Member's Question.