SUPPLY.—REPORT. (Hansard, 10 March 1883)

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
said, that this morning at 3 o'clock the Vote came on, and he had opposed an item of expenditure relative to the Czar's Coronation. He had taken the opportunity of asking whether it was the intention to send a special Ambassador to the Coronation, and was assured by the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs that it was the intention. The noble Lord, however, held out no sort of hope that the approximate expenditure on the special Mission of the Duke of Edinburgh would appear in the Votes this year, and he gathered from him that the Vote would appear in the Supplementary Estimates at the end of the year. This, he thought, was hardly fair to the House; because they would be placed in a false position if the money had been spent, and then they were asked to vote it. He wished to ask the noble Lord whether the Treasury Department would reconsider the matter?

§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICE
said, the question was properly one of Parliamentary procedure. He felt quite as strongly as the hon. Member how very objectionable Supplementary Estimates were, and that objection had been stated over and over again by successive Ministers. But there was no more 138 objection to presenting a Supplementary Estimate for a purpose of this kind than for any other; and the circumstances in this case were rather peculiar, and justified the present proposals, which had been foreshadowed by his hon. Friend. There was a well-known principle in regard to all Votes of this kind—namely, that if they were foreseen they were placed upon the Civil Service Estimates of the year; but in this case, until a short time ago, there was no certainty that this expenditure would be asked for; there was no certainty that the Coronation would take place until a short time ago within the next financial year; and the Treasury and Foreign Office did not consider themselves justified in proposing to place on the ordinary Civil Service Estimates of the year any demand or charge which they were not assured would be incurred. Now that it had been settled that the Coronation was going to take place, the probable result would be that a Supplementary Estimate would appear on the Votes which he would be called union to defend; and he trusted, as he had already indicated, that it would be laid on the Table during the present Session. Previously to 1861 the ordinary course was that a charge of this kind was placed upon the Votes for Civil Contingencies, and to enumerate in that charge contingencies for which Estimates were required and would be laid before Parliament. In 1861, upon representation by a Committee of the House, a Civil Missions Fund was constituted. He sincerely hoped that the House would see no reason to go back from the decision of the Committee last night in regard to the small sum asked for this year for the expenses of the Coronation; and with regard to the Vote of next year, which, no doubt, would have to be asked, a defensible course had been pursued.

§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR
doubted if any subject like this had been brought before the House with more cool audacity, unless the noble Lord meant to perpetrate a joke. The whole gist of the remarks of the noble Lord was that the money had been spent, and the House of Commons ought to vote it.

§ MR. ILLINGWORTH
said, it was a question whether the House was to give carte blanche to the Royal Family. He thought it was the function of the House to exercise a real control over the money 139 expended. Surely somebody must know what the expense would be; there was no difficulty in this case which did not surround every Estimate.

§ MR. RAMSAY
regretted extremely that the explanation of the noble Lord was the best he could offer in justification of bringing before the House next year a Vote similar to that which was now objected to. He voted just now with the Government, on the ground that the money they asked for was already expended; but the noble Lord had taken from him the power of voting for the present amount if there should be a division, because he had told the House that these Supplementary Estimates were a necessity of the circumstances of the Government. If that was the position taken up, they must necessarily vote against all Supplementary Estimates.

§ MR. WADDY
observed that if the Government would be in a position to tell them that some information within a limited number of days might be given and laid on the Table, it would be unnecessary to take the course that would otherwise be necessary—namely, that of moving the rejection of the whole Vote.

§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICE
said, he should be fully ready to give every reasonable information in his power, in a short time, as to the amount that would be required, if he were asked a Question on the subject. It was the duty of the Treasury and the Foreign Office to see that nothing was done in the matter that was unreasonable.