HC Deb 31 May 1904 vol 135 cc435-6
DR. FARQUHARSON (Aberdeenshire, W.)

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury what arrangements are to be made concerning the national memorial to Lord Salisbury; whether it is to be thrown open to competition; and who is to select the sculptor and decide on the site or the material of the statue.

THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.

I think it †See(4) Debates, cxxxiv., 1167. will probably be convenient to follow the last precedent set in matters of this kind, and not to throw the design open to general competition. The Government have accepted a site at the western end of the Abbey offered to them by the Dean and Chapter.

DR. FARQUHARSON

The right hon. Gentleman has not said who will select the sculptor.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I am in communication with Lord Windsor on this subject.

DR. FARQUHARSON

Will the right hon. Gentleman place this matter before the authorities in art, such as the President of the Royal Academy, who might be able to give a suitable opinion?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I will consider it.