HL Deb 25 July 1951 vol 172 c1210

2.37 p.m.

LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEU

My Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is the present intention to demolish the Telecinema, now operating under the British Film Institute, when the South Bank Exhibition closes; and whether they will not rather allow the cinema to continue under the present authority as a national institution.]

LORD MORRISON

My Lords, this question is under examination, and I am glad to be able to assure the noble Lord that no decision to demolish the Telecinema will be taken pending a full and sympathetic study of the possibility to which he refers.

LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEU

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his answer, would the noble Lord agree that, since the South Bank is being developed as a place of entertainment and culture, such a cinema should take its rightful place alongside the National Theatre and the Concert Hall?

LORD MORRISON

My Lords, I agree that that is so, and that is why I deliberately used the word "sympathetic" in my reply. The noble Lord will understand that certain negotiations are necessary, because the land on which the cinema stands is the property of the London County Council. I assure him that there is no intention of demolishing the cinema.