HC Deb 03 April 1883 vol 277 cc1276-7
MR. WHITLEY

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Whether by the conditions of the competition issued by the office of the Public Works, Dublin, dated the 5th of September 1881, in reference to the Dublin Science and Art Museum, it is provided by Clause 20— That the Committee of Selection shall report to the Treasury upon the five selected designs, and the Treasury will select the author of one of them to execute the new building as architect; whether all the difficulty has arisen owing to the breach on the part of the Board of Works and the Treasury, of Condition 21 of the competition— That until after the award on the final competition is given and officially made public, no drawings or photographs should be sent to the public, nor any design or copy should be exhibited publicly or privately; and, whether, under the above circumstances, he is still prepared to maintain that no guarantee was given that one of the selected five should be the architect of the building?

MR. COOPE

I beg to ask, in addition, whether, owing to the breach of contract on the part of the Government, an offer has been made to one or more of the five successful competitors of £500 on condition that they gave a receipt in full of all demands?

MR. COURTNEY

Sir, in answer to the Question of the hon. Member for Middlesex (Mr. Coope), I must deny that there has been any breach of contract. No contract at all has been entered into; an offer has been made, but quite irrespective of any alleged contract. The hon. Member for Liverpool (Mr. Whitley) has put to me three Questions, two of which lead up argumentatively to the third—namely, whether any guarantee was given that one of the selected five should be the architect? In answer to this I would reply that, under the 10th paragraph of the memorandum of the terms of appointment of architect, provision is expressly made as to what should be done supposing no one of the selected five was appointed architect; and I, therefore, adhere to the conclusion that no such guarantee was given. The hon. Gentleman will, I think, agree with me that it is unnecessary to answer the preparatory Questions.

MR. COOPE

I wish to ask whether, if the Government has offered £500 to one or more of the successful competitors, it is his intention to award the same amount to all of them?

MR. COURTNEY

Certainly not, Sir.