§ GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOUR (Kincardine)asked the First Lord of the Treasury. If he will extend his promised inquiries into the delays in preparing the Scottish Local Taxation Returns so as to find out why the Returns which were ordered by the House of Commons to be printed in June, 1886, were kept back for a year, being only placed in the hands of Members in June, 1887; if he will ascertain when the long overdue Returns for 1885–6 will be in the hands of Members; and, if the Treasury will fix a date on which the Returns due in each year will in future be available?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)I am anxious to satisfy the anxiety of the House and the hon. and gallant Member, and to have these Returns presented as rapidly as possible. The delay has occurred owing to the transference of the duties involved in the preparation of these Returns from the Home Office to the Scotch Office, which, as the House is aware, is a newly-constituted Office. I hope that delay will be speedily overcome, and that the Returns will be in the hands of Members in the course of a few weeks. I am not, however, able to state positively, on the part of the Treasury, when these Returns will be laid on the Table; but I will endeavour to arrange with my noble Friend at the head of the Scotch Office that there shall be no avoidable delay.