§ 3. Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will make a statement on the lighting installed on Constitution Hill.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Public Building and Works (Mr. Charles Loughlin)Early last year, my right hon. Friend informed the House that the old gas lamp standards in this road would be retained and that experiments would be carried out to determine how the best standard of lighting with electricity could be achieved. A suitable solution was eventually found, and the necessary conversion work to the old standards was completed last September.
§ Mr. St. John-StevasWhile being grateful for what has been done by the Minister in preserving us from the horror of concrete lamp standards, may I ask the hon. Gentleman to do something about the sodium lighting, which blinds and dazzles everyone using that beautiful approach? Will he provide an æsthetic Magna Carta for Constitution Hill?
§ Mr. LoughlinI would not risk saying that I could introduce an æsthetic Magna Carta for Constitution Hill, but I think the hon. Gentleman accepts that my right hon. Friend has done everything possible to meet every objection in the conversion scheme, and the degree of illumination at the moment has the approval of the road traffic authorities.
§ Mr. McNamaraIs my hon. Friend aware that many people who go home from this place in the evening by way 185 of Constitution Hill are much impressed by the improvement in the lighting which has been possible even with the retention of the old standards?