§ MR. AYRTONsaid, that a question arose the other night, after midnight, as to the competence of a Gentleman sitting on that (the Opposition) side of the House moving Resolutions that certain charges 1667 relating to Courts of Law should be defrayed not only by Votes of Parliament, but also out of the Consolidated Fund, and it had been found impossible to dispose of the matter on that occasion. It was understood, however, that his hon. Friend who was to move the Resolutions would communicate with Her Majesty's Government with a view to determine what should be done. Now it appeared to him that such a Motion should be made by some Minister of the Crown, and he would therefore beg to ask the hon. Member for Pontefract or Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer what was to be done in reference to this matter?
§ MR. CHILDERSsaid, that the Motion which stood in his name, and which was to have been moved in a Committee of the Whole House, was one preliminary to which the usual assent of the Crown had been given, and as a matter of form he was perfectly justified, with the consent of Her Majesty's Government, in making it. But he agreed with his hon. Friend that as a matter of policy it was better that any Resolution placing a charge upon the Consolidated Fund should be moved by a Minister of the Crown, and should not proceed from that (the Opposition) side of the House, What he proposed to do, then, was, when they came to the Order in question, not to move Resolutions 1, 2, and 3, but to move Resolution 4, that the salaries and expenses therein specified should cease to be charged on the Consolidated Fund. That was a Resolution diminishing the charge on the public, which any Member might move.