HC Deb 25 May 1849 vol 105 cc977-8
LORD J. RUSSELL

moved that the House, at its rising, do adjourn to Thursday next.

MR. HERRIES

hoped that the Government would give some explanation as to the course which they intended to pursue after the adjournment with regard to the miscellaneous estimates.

The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

said, that the miscellaneous estimates would be in the hands of Members to-morrow morning. He had expected that they would have been delivered that day, but he was disappointed.

SIR J. GRAHAM

said, that as the estimates were not in the hands of Members before the adjournment, it was not proper or reasonable that they should be pressed forward on the first day that the House again met.

LORD J. RUSSELL

said, he had hoped that the miscellaneous estimates would have been in the hands of Members that day, and the Government had made their arrangements accordingly. It was well known that many of the miscellaneous estimates were the same from year to year, and where new votes were proposed, he would have no objection to allow them to stand over.

SIR J. GRAHAM

said, that the civil contingencies had been printed that morning, and there could be no objection to going on with them on Thursday.

LORD J. RUSSELL

said, he had proposed taking the civil contingencies on Friday.

MR. DISRAELI

said, that the noble Lord made the budget contingent on the miscellaneous estimates, and as there was to be a delay in the latter, there would, he supposed, be a farther delay in the financial statement. He would be glad if the noble Lord could assure the House that the financial statement was not contingent on the miscellaneous estimates.

LORD J. RUSSELL

said, he could not give such an assurance, because the budget would depend a good deal on the miscellaneous estimates. He thought it was more important that public Bills should be proceeded with in the early part of the Session, than the budget, because it was not desirable that the House of Lords should complain, as they had just reason of doing last year, of important Bills being sent up to them near the close of the Session.

MR. DISRAELI

reminded the noble Lord that he had himself expressed an opinion last year that the financial statement ought not to be put off to a late period of the Session.

MR. CARDWELL

said, he understood that the arrangement they were now about making was this, that they were not to have the budget until some time later than the middle of June, unless they made progress with the miscellaneous estimates immediately after the recess. Now, he understood the reason of that delay to be this, that until the Government knew what progress the House would make in the miscellaneous estimates, they would not feel themselves in a condition to make their financial statement. That implied a doubt as to the votes the House would agree to; and surely if there were ground for such doubts, it was right that the House should know what these estimates were to be before they were called upon to vote them. They had not, however, up to this moment, got the miscellaneous estimates, or even the usual abstract of them; and he hoped, therefore, that it would not be hereafter alleged that the House had imposed any delay in refusing to go into the miscellaneous estimates on first day after the recess.

MR. GLADSTONE

said, it would be satisfactory if the House could know what was the connexion between the miscellaneous estimates and the budget. He thought there had been no year in which the budget had not been brought forward before any considerable progress had been made in the miscellaneous estimates.

LORD J. RUSSELL

said, he always understood that there should be considerable progress made in the votes of supply before the financial statement of the year was made—that is, always supposing that there was no extraordinary circumstances which obliged the Government to bring forward the financial statement in the early part of the year. This year the miscellaneous estimates unfortunately formed a large item in the expenditure for the year.

Subject dropped.