HL Deb 07 March 1966 vol 273 c901

2.50 p.m.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper. [The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the basins of the Hudson Memorial in Hyde Park will again be filled with water.]

LORD MITCHISON

My Lords, these basins, which are drained each winter to prevent damage by frost, have now been refilled.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, I am extremely pleased to have heard that. I should like to ask two supplementary questions. The first is whether the fact of my putting down a Question was the reason for the basins being refilled. Secondly, would it not be possible to protect them by means of some device so that the water in them would not break the basin were there to be a frost in winter?

LORD MITCHISON

My Lords, so far as I know, the cause of their being refilled was the improvement in the weather. As regards the other question, the noble Lord, Lord Amulree, will remember that in January, 1964, he was given information as to what had been done as a result of recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Forestry and Bird Sanctuaries, and these recommendations related, among other things, to repairs.

VISCOUNT DILHORNE

My Lords, can the noble Lord say whether these basins have any marks on them showing what capacity of water they will hold—in view of the great interest now taken in marking the capacity of milk bottles?

LORD MITCHISON

My Lords, not without notice.