§ SIR HENRY FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.)I beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works (1) whether he intends, in accordance with the Report of the Select Committee on Government Offices, presented at the end of the last Session, to propose the reappointment of that Committee; and (2) if he can inform the House what progress has been made in the acquisition of the properties lying between Parliament Street and King Street, the purchase of which has been sanctioned by the Acts passed in 1895 and 1896?
§ THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF WORKS (Mr. AKERS-DOUGLAS,) Kent, St. Augustine'sIn reply to the right hon. Gentleman's Question I have to 756 say that I propose to move for the reappointment of the Select Committee on Government Offices at an early date. In answer to the second portion of his Question I may say that considerable progress has been made in the acquisition of the site named, arrangements to the amount of over one-third of the sum fixed in the Act of 1895 having been agreed upon between the Government and the parties interested. There will be certain arbitrations under the Lands Clauses Acts in cases where it has been found impossible to arrive at an amicable understanding.