§ DR. FARQUHARSONI beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works, whether he can state to the House the precise nature of the steps he intends to take, by the acquisition of adjacent land or otherwise, to ensure the collection of pictures in the National Gallery from a repetition of the dangerous fire referred to in the last report of the trustees.
§ THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF WORKS (Mr. AKERS DOUGLAS,) Kent, St. Augustine'sI am taking steps for the acquisition of the premises immediately adjacent to the National Gallery, so as to secure the isolation of that building. Parliamentary powers are needed for this purpose, and a Bill has been for some weeks before the House awaiting Second Reading.