HC Deb 05 February 1891 vol 350 cc23-4
MR. KEAY

I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, under the Purchase of Land and Congested Districts (Ireland) Bill, the "additional advances" provided for by Clause 6 (3) may continue to be made to the full extent of the capital value of the Sinking Fund after default has been committed by the tenant purchasers, and when the Sinking Fund is consequently being kept up and further increased by payments out of the Consolidated Fund, as provided in Clause 1 (3)?

MR. GOSCHEN

The hon. Member is putting question after question across the floor of the House, raising issues of policy as well as of fact and of explanation. I have endeavoured to answer them fully and courteously; but I must now suggest to him that a question as to when additional advances should cease to be sanctioned is essentially one for Committee. I may simply remind the hon. Member that it would always be optional, and not compulsory, to the Treasury to sanction additional advances, and I must further point out that the last two lines of his question do not correctly represent the case, in that they suggest that the Sinking Fund is kept up by payments out of the Consolidated Fund, suppressing the fact that the Consolidated Fund is at once recouped by the Guarantee Fund.

MR. KEAY

With reference to the right hon. Gentleman's remarks on my questions, does the right hon. Gentleman recollect that I raised these same points on the Amendment to the Second Reading, and got no reply, and that I again attempted to raise them on the main question of the Second Reading, but was closured by the First Lord of the Treasury?

MR. SPEAKER

Order, order!