§ LORD BROUGHSHANEMy Lords, I beg to ask the question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The question was as follows:
§ [To ask His Majesty's Government, in connexion with the experiments which are to be carried out during the recess with a view to remedying the ventilation of the House, whether care will be taken to avoid the system which obtained in the old House of Commons, whereby fresh air was introduced into the Chamber under member's feet, so that members were prone to suffer from cold feet and hot heads, thereby creating a bodily condition which did not facilitate the temperate consideration of legislative problems.]
§ LORD AMMONMy Lords, I can give the noble Lord the assurance for which he asks. It is not proposed to adopt the system which obtained in the old House of Commons. The change will be limited to the installation of fans and the regulation of the use of the existing air inlets to avoid the intake of hot air from the south side of the building.
§ LORD BROUGHSHANEMy Lords, may I ask that the Government should give full consideration to the old-fashioned method of ventilating rooms by opening windows to let in fresh air, and that no scientific scheme should be permitted which will necessitate the closing of the windows, as did obtain, as my noble friend Lord Ammon knows, in the old House of Commons? I wonder if your Lordships are aware that the three yellow-tinted windows behind me, which look as if they allowed fresh air in, are but a sham, that they open into a box, and that there is but one small diamond-shaped window alone which opens to the fresh air. All this large number of louver windows are 1358 just a sham. The only window which allows the intake of fresh air is a small diamond about the size of a top-hat.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONA good sized diamond.
§ LORD BROUGHSHANEWill the Government see that these windows are made to open so that we can have fresh air by that means and not depend on scientific inventions?
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, arising out of what the noble Lord has said, may I ask this: When winter comes, if the Minister of Fuel does not provide adequate heat, will the Government also see to it that the windows shut?
§ LORD AMMONMy Lords, the question of the ventilation of this Chamber is at present being dealt with by the Minister of Works, and no doubt the points which have been made by noble Lords will be given consideration. Of course, there is a good deal of sham in the building just now, and that is entirely owing to the "Blitz." With regard to questions relating to new buildings, they, of course, are being given every attention, as has already been indicated.
§ VISCOUNT SAMUELThe last words of the original reply of the noble Lord, Lord Ammon, were not clearly heard this end of the Chamber. He referred, did he not, to the intake of hot air into this 'Chamber? Where did it come from?
§ LORD AMMONI believe that it is sometimes resident in the building.