§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI wish to take this opportunity of referring to something which passed last week on a Question put to me by the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mr. 859 Monk). The hon. Gentleman asked me a Question in regard to a Treasury Minute affecting the service of the Inland Revenue Department. I declined to answer the Question, on the ground that the Minute had not been published; but the other day the hon. Member showed me a copy of The Civilian newspaper in which that Minute was printed in full, with a short note apparently signed or initialed by the Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue, and requesting that the Minute might be circulated for information. The hon. Member pointed out that he could not be considered guilty of a breach of propriety in calling attention to the subject. That is perfectly true, and I can only apologize to him if I said anything which could be held to reflect upon him. At the same time, I find that, as regards the Treasury, my answer was perfectly correct. We have never authorized the publication of the Minute, and it ought not to have been published. It contained a statement of the terms upon which officers may retire with a view to the re-arrangement of the service. Before the Board of Inland Revenue could give an answer, it was necessary that they should ascertain by private inquiry what officers would retire. Accordingly, they ordered it to be circulated in the Department for the purpose of making such inquiry. They had no idea that it would be published, and it ought not to have been published. I do not, however, impute anything improper to the hon. Member, and if my language conveyed such an idea I sincerely apologize to him.