APPROPRIATION OF THE SUPPLIES 1841. (Hansard, 4 February 1842)

§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer
said, that there having been two Sessions of Parliament in the course of the year 1841, the Ways and Means for that year were voted by two separate acts. In the titles of those acts the sums were stated to be voted for the service of the year 1841, but in the bodies of the acts the Ways and Means were applied to the public service during the particular Session in which each respective bill was passed. There was a surplus of the vote in the first Session; but in consequence of the circumstance to which he had referred, that surplus could not be devoted to the services of the second Session. The consequence was, that it became necessary to apply different sums to different parts of the same services, and this gave rise not only to great inconvenience in the public department, but some loss to the public revenue; for as those votes that were agreed to in the first Session could not be made applicable to the second Session, it was impossible that the Exchequer bills reserved for those services could be paid off with the rapidity that was desirable. With regard to the bill which he now asked leave to introduce, he was only following the precedent which had been set in the year 1831. He therefore moved for leave to introduce a bill for the application 76 to the service of the year 1841 of the sums granted in either of the two last Sessions of Parliament.

§ Mr. F. T. Baring
said, that as he understood the right hon. Gentleman he only intended to do now what, if it had been proposed in the last Session of Parliament, would not have given rise to the least objection. But perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would permit him to ask a question with regard to the financial proposal of the last Session, whether consistently with the interest of the public service he would be able shortly to lay upon the table of the House a return, showing how that financial measure had terminated? He would not ask for the information, if it would cause any difficulty to the public service.

§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer
would take an early opportunity of giving the information required, and at any rate, would promise to produce it before he attempted to propose any new measure.