§ Mr. NOEL BUXTONasked the hon. Member for Southampton, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether his attention has been drawn to the address delivered by Mr. Stokes, the President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, on 6th November; whether he will state the percentage which the cost of the architectural staff of His Majesty's Office of Works for salaries alone forms of the whole outlay; whether he will state what buildings have been entrusted to independent architects, not in the Office of Works, during the last sixteen years; and whether, in the interests of economy, he is prepared to consider the desirability of abolishing the architectural staff of the Office of Works and entrusting the work to independent architects?
Mr. DUDLEY WARDThe reply to the first paragraph is in the affirmative. In reply to the second paragraph the percentage which the cost of the architectural2830W staff of His Majesty's Office of Works for salaries alone forms of the whole outlay is 3.34, and not 6¼ as stated. In reply to the third paragraph the following buildings have been entrusted to outside architects:—
- 1. Government Offices, Whitehall, Southern Building.
- 2. New War Office.
- 3. New Admiralty, Block III.
- 4. New Admiralty, Block IV.
- 5. Victoria and Albert Museum Extension.
- 6. Royal College of Science, Imperial Institute Road.
- 7. British Museum Extension.
In reply to the last paragraph the answer is in the negative, although the First Commissioner will be prepared to consider any exceptional conditions which might render it desirable in the future, as in the past, to entrust certain specific works to architects outside his Department.
§ Mr. NOEL BUXTONasked the hon. Member for Southampton, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether his attention has been called to a recent address delivered by Mr. Stokes, the President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, in which he has expressed his dissatisfaction with the work done by the architectural staff of His Majesty's Office of Works; whether he will state the classes and the total number of architects employed in his Department; and what number of them are fellows, associates, or licentiates of the Royal Institute of British Architects?
Mr. DUDLEY WARDThe answer to the first part is in the affirmative. There are two principal architects employed, both of whom are Fellows of the Institute. In the next class, architects and surveyors, there are ten employed, of whom six are associates and one a Licentiate of the Institute. The next class consists of nineteen assistant architects and surveyors, of whom five are Associates of the Institute. There are twenty-seven assistant architects and surveyors of the second class, of whom thirteen are Associates of the Institute. Since 1907 twenty-three architects and surveyors have been appointed, of whom thirteen are Associates of the Royal Institute of British Architects.