§ MR. FIRTHasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether the new scheme of the Charity Commissioners as to Christ's Hospital is matured; and, when the same may be expected to be laid upon the Table; and what is the cause of the delay?
§ MR. MUNDELLASir, the Charity Commissioners have furnished me with the following statement in reply to the inquiry of the hon. Member for Chelsea:—
After the publication of their draft scheme for Christ's Hospital, the Commissioners received from the governors of the hospital certain objections on points of great importance and difficulty, with which it was found to be impossible to deal without minute inquiry into the account books and other records of the hospital from the latter part of the 16th century down to the present day. This inquiry was undertaken by Mr. Fearon, and, together with the writing of his report thereon, occupied him during the greater part of the months of November and December, 1881, and January, February, March, April, and May, 1882. His report, covering upwards of 100 pages of printed folio, has been in the hands of the Commissioners for about a fortnight, and will require very careful attention. In these circumstances, it is impossible to say how soon the Commissioners will be in a position to submit a scheme to the department.