§ MR. KELLY(for Sir GEORGE BADEN-POWELL) (Liverpool, Kirkdale) (Camberwell, N.)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he can state for how long
all proposals involving police expenditure, except as to repairs to stations, have been initiated by the Chief Commissioner of Police;whether the late Commissioner made strong recommendations to the effect that the Police Receiver should cease to initiate expenditure in regard to stores and buildings; and, whether the Secretary of State declined at the time to accept those recommendations; and, if so, at what date, and for what reason, were those recommendations subsequently accepted?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)The practice as to the police expenditure, which I described generally in answer to my hon. Friend on the 3rd instant, has been in existence for very many years. The late Commissioner made various recommendations from time to time, to the effect that economy would result from giving to the Commissioner the initiative as to the repair of stations, and greater control over the contracts and other financial arrangements made by the Receiver. All these recommendations, and the whole subject of the relations between the Commissioner and Receiver, were referred by the Secretary of State to examination by a Com 957 mittee, of which my hon. Friend is aware, and, pending the inquiry, the old practice has been continued. The subject is too complex to be adequately explained by Questions and answers in this House.