HC Deb 02 March 1949 vol 462 cc356-7
45. Sir R. Glyn

asked the Lord President of the Council what office or Department are responsible for the planning, design of the buildings and general layout of the 1951 Festival of Britain site; by what date are the buildings, etc., to be ready; and whether it is intended to exhibit at an early date a model so that hon. Members may have some idea of the scope and particulars of the project.

The Lord President of the Council (Mr. Herbert Morrison)

The Central Office of Information is now responsible, under the general guidance of the Council of the Festival of Britain, for the planning and design of the buildings and for the general layout of the Festival Exhibition to be held on the South Bank of the Thames—to which I assume the hon. Member refers. This responsibility (and the C.O.I. Exhibition staff involved) will be transferred on 1st April to the Festival of Britain Office, which is then to receive a separate Vote. The buildings will be completed in successive stages with a view to opening the Exhibition in May, 1951. I hope to display drawings and models of the layout of the site for hon. Members in due course.

Sir R. Glyn

Is there any truth in the story that part of the Exhibition is to be a dome one-third higher than St. Paul's and made of aluminium?

Mr. Morrisons

I would not accept the description, but I have heard of an idea floating about of a dome in aluminium, and we have under consideration the question of where we shall get the aluminium.

Mr. Nicholson

Will the Royal Fine Art Commission be kept in constant consultation from the start?

Mr. Morrison

I cannot say, but this is a project for 1951, and we had better watch the timetable.

Viscount Hinchingbrooke

On what ground is the Central Office of Information now held to be a competent planning authority?

Mr. Morrison

The noble Lord is ill-informed, if I may say so. It is not so much a question of planning as that the Central Office of Information is an expert exhibition authority. It is very competent in that field, and it is primarily in that respect that its services are being utilised. I presume that the noble Lord would not like us to set up another Department. That would hardly be economical.

Mr. Scollan

What proportion of this Festival is to be allotted to Scotland?

Mr. Morrison

Scotland has a special committee and is being quite active in preparation for the appropriate activities north of the Border. My hon. Friend may be assured that Scotland will not be forgotten by me, and I should not be given a chance to forget Scotland even if I wished to do so.