CIVIL SERVICES (EXCESSES). (Hansard, 14 March 1881)

§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR
said, the principle involved in this Vote was most important. The Committee were now asked to vote a series of excesses on Votes which already, in many cases, had been increased by Supplementary Estimates. This Vote, therefore, showed the importance of that scrutiny without which it was impossible for the House to check the expenditure of the Government. As far back as 1870 the Public Accounts Committee recorded their opinion that it would be of much value to the House if the examination of the Appropriation Accounts could be completed before the time arrived when Parliament was asked to grant the difficiencies found to have arisen in the grants of the previous year. The same Committee, in 1877, stated that it was of great importance that the attention of Parliament should be especially directed to all cases in which excess of expenditure had been incurred beyond that originally sanctioned by Parliament. They also thought it desirable that the excesses should be reported upon by the Committee of Public Accounts before it was voted in Committee of Supply, in order that attention might be called to any cases involving questions of principle. The Treasury in their Minute agreed with that view. Again, the present Financial Secretary to the Treasury, in 1877, as Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, recorded his opinion that none of the Votes of the kind now asked for should be taken in Committee of Supply until the Public Accounts Committee had had an opportunity of investigating every one of them and reporting upon them to the House of Commons. What steps, then, had the noble Lord taken to carry out that recommendation? He complained, in 1877, that the Appropriation Accounts of the Civil Service and Revenue Departments were not delivered until the 22nd February, and that the Public Accounts Committee had not, in consequence, had the opportunity of reviewing them. Again, the noble Lord had since been charged with the duty of 1006 nominating the Public Accounts Committee; yet, knowing that there were Supplementary Estimates and excesses, he had delayed for six weeks after the meeting of Parliament the nomination of the Committee; and the Appropriation Accounts for the present year had not been presented until two days later than they were in the year when the noble Lord recorded his objection to the system. The Committee, therefore, had no materials upon which to found a judgment on the Vote; and he thought hon. Members had a right to complain of the action of the Government, who, having proposed urgency for these Estimates, had not furnished the House with the Appropriation Accounts.

§ SIR HENRY HOLLAND
, as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, was glad to inform the hon. Member for Queen's County that the Committee had already had the Excess Estimates before them, and had reported thereon.

§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR
But the Accounts are not complete.

§ SIR HENRY HOLLAND
Yes they are.

CLASS II.—SALARIES AND EXPENSES OF CIVIL DEPARTMENTS.
	£	s.	d.
The Mint, including Coinage	64	2	2
Lunacy Commission, Scotland	44	10	7
CLASS III.—LAW AND JUSTICE.
County Courts	2,124	17	11
Land Registry	12	19	7
Convict Establishments in England and the Colonies	2,205	8	6
CLASS IV.—EDUCATION, SCIENCE, AND ART.
Endowed Schools Commissioners, Ireland	167	12	6
Queen's Colleges, Ireland	517	0	10

CLASS V.—FOREIGN AND COLONIAL SERVICES.
Consular Services	5,421	12	6
Suppression of the Slave Trade	1,550	19	7
Total Amount to be voted for Civil Services	£12,109	4	2