MR. SEELYasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether there would be any objection to lay upon the Table of the House, a Return of all persons receiving payments from public funds, whether in the shape of allowances, salary, or fees, where such payments are entered in different parts of the public accounts, so that the House might know the total amount received by each person?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, in reply, that he had been told that it would be exceedingly troublesome and difficult to make such a Return, and that if prepared it would communicate very little information beyond what existed at present. It was his wish to make the Estimates the means of communicating the information asked for. This was being done as much as possible, and he trusted, therefore, that the hon. Gentleman would wait a year or two and see how the system worked before pressing for any change.