§ MR. HOWELL (Bethnal Green, N. E.)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether his attention has been called to the Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, in which it is stated that 34 van loads of public records, described as valuable, which were removed from the Stone Tower adjoining Westminster Hall, are deposited in buildings—
Old, dark, ill-ventilated, rickety, and unprotected from fire from intervening dwelling houses;and, whether any steps have been, or are being, taken to ensure the safety of such valuable official documents?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)The value of the public records alluded to is, of course, comparative with that of many other more valuable documents in the keeping of the Department. The Treasury have not as yet seen their way to laying before the House the Vote that would be necessary to place all the documents in absolute safety. I am sorry to say that there are some portions of the building in which the records are kept that are dark and old and ill-ventilated.