§ 39. Mr. Geoffrey Hutchinsonasked the First Commissioner of Works whether, in view of the advice given by the Royal Fine Art Commission, that it is desirable 2440 to examine afresh in connection with Parliament Square the problem of the site for the proposed memorial to His Majesty King George V, he will refrain from taking any action in relation to the site in Abingdon Street until this House has had an opportunity to express its opinion upon the relative merits of the respective sites in the altered circumstances which have arisen?
§ The First Commissioner of Works (Sir Philip Sassoon)I would refer to the answer which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Abingdon (Sir R. Glyn) on 26th July, 1937, in which I stated that His Majesty's Government had decided that their contribution to the memorial should take the form, not of a cash grant, but of a free gift of all the State property within the area at Abingdon Street selected by the Lord Mayor's Committee, and added that His Majesty's Government proposed to seek the approval of Parliament by means of an Affirmative Resolution of both Houses of Parliament. The Lord Mayor's Committee having re-affirmed their decision, announced on 14th June, 1938, as to the site for the memorial, His Majesty's Government will, in due course, submit the appropriate Resolution to both Houses of Parliament, and thus afford the opportunity for discussion desired by the hon. and learned Member for Ilford (Mr. Hutchinson). Until that Resolution is affirmed, no further action is contemplated.