§ 38. Sir W. DAVISONasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether, seeing that the general committee of the King George V National Memorial Fund, representing all parts of the country, have so far had no opportunity of expressing an opinion as to the suitability of the curtailed site in Abingdon Street for the memorial, the Government will see that the committee are given such an opportunity before a final decision is come to as to handing over any property in Old Palace Yard belonging to the State, especially having regard to the fact that, were the Parliament Square site to be approved by the general committee, an additional sum of at least £100,000 would be available for the King George the Fifth Playing Fields, while a beautiful eighteenth-century building in Old Palace Yard would be saved from destruction?
§ Mr. R. S. HUDSON(for the First Commissioner of Works): The objects to which the funds subscribed to the Lord Mayor's National Memorial Fund were to be devoted were announced by the late Lord Mayor. It was recognised from the first that it might not be possible to complete the whole of the scheme at Abingdon Street, and this was publicly announced. The subscriptions of the public were asked, and have been received for a memorial at Abingdon Street, and not elsewhere. On the basis of the scheme so announced the Government has made an offer, subject to Parliamentary approval, which has been accepted by the Lord Mayor on behalf of the Memorial Fund. In these circumstances my Noble Friend is not prepared 832 to intervene in the manner suggested by my hon. Friend. In any case he is not aware on what calculations my hon. Friend is relying in his suggestion that, had the Parliament Square site been the choice of the Lord Mayor's Memorial Fund, an additional sum of £100,000 would be available for the King George the Fifth Playing Fields.
§ Sir W. DAVISONIs my hon. Friend aware that the General Committee only approved of the Abingdon Street site on the statement that a view of the memorial would be opened up from Lambeth Bridge and Millbank, and that the curtailed site was not submitted to them? With regard to the point at the end of my question, is my hon. Friend aware that there would be no charge whatever on the fund in respect of site if Parliament Square were adopted, as the whole cost of this site would be provided by public bodies
§ Mr. HUDSONWith regard to the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, the General Committee did not make the appeal. The late Lord Mayor made it on his own authority, and it wits made abundantly clear, in broadcasts by the late Lord Mayor, by the Prime Minister and by Lord Macmillan that money was being asked for for the Abingdon Street site, and not for Parliament Square. As regards the second part, the figure quoted by my hon. Friend is based on pure conjecture.
§ Sir W. DAVISONNo, Sir.