§ MR. R. N. FOWLERasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he is in a position to fix a day for the consideration of the Indian Budget; and, whether he will be able to carry out the recommendation of the Committee on East Indian Finance that the Budget should be brought forward in future in February?
MR. GLADSTONE,in reply, said, that he did not think the time had yet come for fixing a day for the consideration of the Indian Budget. He should, however, endeavour to secure the object which the hon. Gentleman, no doubt, had in view, by giving a day for it before the greater portion of hon. Members had dispersed. As to the second part of the Question, he had to state that as the recommendation of the Committee did not relate to the Budget, properly speaking, so much as to an audit of accounts up to the financial year ending the 31st of March preceding, he saw no good reason why it should not be acted on. The Government certainly would be very much disposed to give it effect.