§ MR. VERNON HARCOURTasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, What responsible Minister of the Crown is answerable to this House for the conduct of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests in the administration of the annual revenues of the Crown lands; and, whether a Report, addressed to the Treasury, dated June 8, 1871, and signed James K. Howard, purporting to define the function and duties of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, especially in respect of their relations to the House of Commons, is approved and sanctioned by Her Majesty's Government?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I have already stated, in answer to a Question, that I am the Minister responsible for the Woods and Forests in this House. With regard to the second part of the Question of the hon. Gentleman, we laid the Report on the Table because we thought it desirable that the House should have an authoritative explanation, from a person quite competent to give it and conversant 307 with the subject, of the facts of the case, and the law, so far as it bears on the duty of the Office of Woods and Forests; and as far as I know—though I have not tested it minutely—that Report does contain a correct statement of the facts. There may be some corrections required, but I am not aware of any; and I repeat, that I believe it fully states the law as regards the Woods and Forests; and by laying it on the Table of the House the Government does, so far, no doubt, express its assent to the Report. As to any part of it dealing with the relations of the Department to this House, that is a matter, I imagine, rather ultra vires as regards the Department. Mr. Howard, though a great authority in his own Department, has no means of deciding what its relations are to this House, and on that point the Government must not be understood to give the Report their sanction.