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MR. HUME moved—
For a List, alphabetically arranged, of all persons in England, receiving salaries, pensions, pay, profits, fees, emoluments, allowances or grants of Public Money, between the 5th day of January 1848, and the 5th day of January 1849, the amount of which exceeds 200l.; stating the total amount received by each individual, and distinguishing the sources from which the payments are made, and the aggregate of the whole:
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Similar Return of all persons in England, receiving salaries, pensions, pay, profits, fees, emoluments, allowances or grants of public money (not including those persons paid by wages), between the 5th day of January 1848 and the 5th day of January 1849, the amount of which is upwards of 50l., and not exceeding 200l. sterling each person, the total amount received by each individual, and distinguishing the sources from which the payments are made, and the aggregate of the whole; so as to exhibit in those two Lists every person in England In the receipt of 50l. and upwards from those and from all other sources of public money (the Church excepted).
Also, two similar Lists for Scotland, and two similar Lists for Ireland.
He brought forward this Motion because public attention was now being directed to every possible means of effecting economy in the public expenditure; and these returns would help to facilitate that result. England was the only country he knew of which had not a list regularly prepared of all the fixed salaries paid out of the public purse. The only objection that could be offered to his Motion that he knew of was the time and expense that would be required to make out these returns; but if the House chose to appoint a Committee upstairs, he (Mr. Hume) would undertake all the trouble, and to have the lists printed at a cost not exceeding 10l. It was most essential that the nation should know how its money was expended, and with that view he submitted the present Motion.
§ MR. J. PARKERobjected to the Motion, on the ground of the great trouble and difficulty of classification in the returns, as well as upon the score of expense. These inconveniences had already been greatly experienced in making out two recent lists of all salaries of 800l. and 1,000l. In 1835 and 1844, returns of a somewhat similar character had been ordered, and occupied from fifty to sixty printed pages. The second return, in particular, would be very extensive.
§ MR. HUMEsaid, that in moving for those returns he had no desire to create any unnecessary trouble or expense, without leading to any good results; but the hon. Member for Finsbury had some years ago moved for similar returns, only the lowest salary he included was 100l. and although these returns had been ordered at the time, they had never yet been produced.
§ LORD J. RUSSELLsaw no objection to the production of these returns; the only question was, whether any public advantage that would arise from them would equal either the trouble or expense of preparing them. If the hon. Gentleman would put 1333 off his Motion for a few days, the Government, in the meantime, would make inquiries to ascertain the amount of expense.