HC Deb 22 April 1969 vol 782 cc228-9
2. Mr. Dudley Smith

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many public statues and memorials to individual persons are located in London, which come under his Department's jurisdiction; how often they are cleaned and maintained; what criteria are applied to their removal or replacement; and when the last was erected.

Mr. Mellish

I am responsible only for certain of those Public statues and memorials sited within the Metropolitan Police District. There are 75 of these commemorating individual persons. Their cleaning and maintenance is carried out periodically, the frequency varying according to circumstances. They are not removed or replaced unless there are special reasons for doing so. The last to be erected was the bust of Admiral Cunningham, which was unveiled in Trafalgar Square in April, 1967.

Mr. Smith

Would the righ hon. Gentleman not agree that some of the statues are grievously out of date and commemorate people of whom the modern generation have not even heard? Is it not time that they became a little more relevant and were substituted by statues of outstanding men and women of the current century?

Mr. Mellish

These are all matters of opinion and I will take advice on them, but I thought that statues were to remind people of yester-years as well as today.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Is my right hon. Friend aware that not long ago Paris had a purge of statues and improved the beauty of Paris very much? Will he consider giving Earl Haig back to the Distillers' Company?

Mr. Mellish

I have a great deal of affection for my hon. Friend. I think that if he goes on as he is going on, we shall have to put a statue up to him.