§ GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOUR (Kincardine)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, If, on the re-assembling of Parliament, he will allow a Select Committee to be formed, composed mainly of Scotch Members, to inquire how far the large additional expenditure, stated by the Secretary to the Treasury to be about £11,300, for the newly created Office of Secretary for Scotland and Education Department is justifiable by its usefulness to Scotland, as to the advisability of transferring some of the expenditure hitherto provided under Votes 14 and 16, Class III., to the Secretary for Scotland's Vote, and as to the possibility of meeting the whole extra expenditure of about £11,800 for the Secretary for Scotland by economies out of the other Scotch Votes; and, generally, to inquire into the position and duties in and out of Parliament of the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland in relation to the Secretary for Scotland?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)It will be the duty of the Government to consider most carefully what establishment for carrying out the work of the Secretary for Scotland's Office shall be granted; but the Government do not think it right that they should delegate their responsibility to a Committee of the House. It will be for the House to consider the proposal which the Government may make next Session.