§ MR. HEALYasked the Secretary to the Treasury. Whether it is the fact that Ireland has lost one collector, one clerk, six supervisors, thirty division officers, and fifty-seven ride officers since 1879, making a total of ninety-five men, at salaries averaging £17,256 per annum, owing to Revenue re-arrangements; and, if he will have any objection to furnish a Return of Disbursements for Inland Revenue purposes for the last four years, showing England, Ireland, and Scotland separately?
§ MR. COURTNEYThe figures given by the hon. Member are approximately correct. The Board of Inland Revenue lose no opportunity of making economics in the cost of collecting the Revenue wherever and whenever it may be possible to do so. It is practically impossible to state separately, with any approach to accuracy, the cost of the collection of Revenue in the Three Kingdoms. I observe, however, from a recent Return, that the amounts spent in Ireland and Scotland respectively in the collection of the Inland Revenue are 739 nearly proportionate to the amount of Revenue collected.