§ VISCOUNT WOLMER (Edinburgh, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is possible that any national funds should have been spent upon the fabrics of the four Welsh cathedrals since the year 1703 without the fact being recorded in some public Department; and whether he can state what is the total amount of national funds which are recorded as having been spent on the fabrics of the four Welsh cathedrals since the year 1703?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOK THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. ASQUITH,) Fife, E.The only information on this point which I have hitherto been able to obtain is that supplied to me by the secretary to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, who informs me that the only sums expended upon the Welsh cathedrals of which the Commissioners have knowledge are the grants made by them at the time of the commutation of the capitular estates, in the cases of St. David's £10,000 and of Llandaff £5,000, in the year 1867. But without further inquiry it cannot be safely assumed that this is an exhaustive statement of the facts bearing on the matter.
§ VISCOUNT WOLMERThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered the first part of my question.
§ MR. ASQUITHIt is impossible to answer it without a long inquiry.
§ MR. TALBOT (Oxford University)May we take it, then, that no national funds have been spent on the fabrics of the Welsh cathedrals? The statement of the right hon. Gentleman refers to funds in the hands of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and it would be a perversion of language to call them national funds.
§ MR. ASQUITHMy hon. Friend and I differ in our definitions.
§ MR. GRIFFITH-BOSCAWEN (Kent, Tunbridge)Does not the right hon. Gentleman know that no funds have been granted by the State towards the restoration of the cathedrals?
§ MR. ASQUITHIf the hon. Member means funds voted by Parliament, I think not.
§ MR. GRIFFITH-BOSCAWENIs it not a fact that the right hon. Gentleman has proposed to hand over the cathedrals for national purposes, although he is not aware that any funds have been granted by the nation for the restoration of the cathedrals?
§ MR. ASQUITHIn any statements I have made on the subject I have never grounded the proposals of the Government on the granting of funds contributed by Parliament. I have grounded them on the general character of the buildings.
§ VISCOUNT CRANBORNE (Rochester)Is it not a very important consideration as to who contributed the funds for the restoration of the cathedrals? Will the right hon. Gentleman make any 804 further investigation on this point before he asks the House to read the Bill a second time?
§ MR. ASQUITHI have said that further inquiry will be made in order to satisfy the historical anxiety of the noble Lord, though I confess that from my point of view the matter seems to be immaterial.