§ Mr. T. M. HEALYI beg to ask the Financial Secretary a question, of which I have given him private notice, namely: Whether he will state the precedents (dates, Statutes, and amounts) where Loans of Money as distinct from Grants were placed on the Estimates and included in the Appropriation Bill, whether the placing of Loans on the Votes is now to be regarded as embodied in the settled practice of the House, and when did the Treasury resolve to adopt this practice?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI have already stated in this House there are precedents going back over a series of years for loans or advances made under the authority of a Vote in Committee of Supply and the Appropriation Act. I have instanced the following cases:—
1899.—Gold Coast.—(Grant-in-Aid.)
Voted on a Supplementary Estimate on 31st July, 1899, and included in the Appropriation Act, 1899, 62–3 Vic, c. 49.
The exact amount, £29,441.
2059 1900–01.—Gold Coast.
£200,000 voted on a Supplementary Estimate on 2nd August, 1900, and included in the Appropriation Act, 1900, 63–4 Vic, c. 57.
£200,000 voted on a Supplementary Estimate on 19th March, 1901, and included in the Appropriation Act, 1901 (1 Edw. VII., c. 21).
1901.—Loan to Wuchang Viceroy.
£75,000 voted on a Supplementary Estimate 8th August, 1901, and included in the Appropriation Act, 1901 (1 Edw. VII., c. 21).
1910–11.—Uganda Railway Extension.
£120,000 voted on a Supplementary Estimate 19th July, 1910, included in the Appropriation Act, 1910 (10 Edw. VII. and 1 Geo. V., c. 14).
£60,000 voted on the original Estimates for 1911–12 on 14th August, 1911 and included in the Appropriation Act, 1911 (1 and 2 Geo. V., c. 15).
1911.—Baro-Kano Railway, Bauchi Extension (Northern Nigeria).
£10,000 voted on a Supplementary Estimate on 10th March, 1911.
£140,000 voted on 14th August, 1911, both included in the Appropriation Act, 1911 (1 and 2 Geo. V., c. 15).
To these I may now add:—
1901.—On 6th August, 1901, an advance (to be repaid out of the first loan to be issued) of £3,000,000 was voted on a Supplementary Estimate as part of a Grant-in-Aid of £6,500,000 to the Transvaal and Orange River Colony, and included in the Appropriation Act, 1901 (1 Edw. VII., c 21).
1902.—On 5th November, 1902, a further advance of £3,000,000 on similar terms to the Transvaal and Orange River Colony was voted, on an additional Estimate, and included in the Appropriation (No. 2) Act, 1902 (2 Edw. VII., c. 30).
The earliest precedent which I have been able to trace goes back to 1877, when on a Supplementary Estimate for 1876–7 a Grant of £35,000 (forming part of sums amounting in all to £105,000) was voted in aid of Fiji revenues, to be repaid should Colonial funds become available for the purpose. This sum was included in the Appropriation Act, 1877 (40–41 Vic, c. 61).
In each case Parliament was informed on the face of the Estimate that the Grant was made as an advance which would be repaid.
§ Mr. T. M. HEALYIs it not in order for the Government in the case of advances to the Irish farmers to take the same course without a Statute?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI cannot possibly answer that without notice. These were Grants-in-Aid.