HC Deb 06 June 1817 vol 36 cc915-6

On the order of the day for going into the committee on this bill,

Mr. Calcraft

felt it his duty to state, that as a member of that committee which had recommended this bill, he was bound to say that he did then, and still would approve of the principle of the bill as a source of much good. If he knew a plan to get rid of the sinecures without compensation, he would adopt it, but he knew none; and when he considered that by this plan they took away 90 or 100,000l. from the Crown, and gave it back only 42,000l. he conceived it certainly a good bargain for the public. The power of the Crown was thus abridged considerably, and as it could not be expected sinecurists would relinquish their situations without an equivalent, he thought this bill a very proper plan.

Mr. Boswell

entered his protest against the provisions of this and the other bills connected with it, on the ground of their not being meant to promote real economy; for certainly had that been their object, those ancient offices would not have been at all touched, at least so early. He did not see on what grounds sinecures should be branded with infamy, merely because in one or two instances they had been abused.

Sir J. Newport

said, that sinecure had fallen into such disrepute country, that they could be no considered as honourable rewards for services, which they were formerly intended to be. He begged to ask the noble lord, whether he had understood him correctly on a former occasion, that, in case the bill for suppressing these offices failed, the Crown would be advised to withhold its consent from the compensation bill?

Lord Castlereagh

had no difficulty in stating, that ministers would do every thing in good faith with respect to this measure, both as regarded their official influence and their individual exertions.

The House then resolved itself into the committee, in which a conversation took place on the various clauses of the bill. Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald intimated, that as he had resigned the office of chancellor of the Irish exchequer, he would not accept of any salary or emolument under this bill.