Royal Gallery: Restoration

Lord Cormack Excerpts

Thursday 24th July 2014 Lords Chamber

[The Chairman of Committees]

I am certainly going to duck that one. Commissioning works of art is purely a matter for the Works of Art Committee. Fortunately, that is one of the few domestic Select Committees in this House that I do not chair, and I am very grateful.

[Lord Cormack (Con)]

My Lords, speaking as a member of the Works of Art Committee, I think that is a most admirable suggestion. While I agree with all my noble friend said, would it not be a very good thing in the bicentenary year of Waterloo to concentrate on that particular mural and to have a splendid ceremony where the rededication could be performed by my right honourable and noble friend Lady Trumpington with President Hollande as a guest of honour?

[The Chairman of Committees]

Treading lightly around this question, the serious and core thing is that we are responsible for maintaining the integrity and quality of those murals. It is a challenge; various layers have built up. Some of the problems go back to the very early days of the Building when there was a high level, for instance, of smoke pollution. All that has to be dealt with carefully and delicately. I hear what Members understandably say about how wonderful it would be to do it by next year. I repeat: the much more important objective is to get it right and make sure that we live up to our responsibilities as custodians of this important piece of our heritage.