§ MR. MURPHYI beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether complaints have reached him that officers of the Inland Revenue Department are often, on slight complaints, removed at their own expense to distant parts of the United Kingdom; whether quite recently, an officer was censured and ordered to be removed from Dublin to Aberdeen, although he denied the truth of the complaint upon which the order of removal was made, and demanded an investigation, stating that he could produce several witnesses on oath to prove his innocence; whether, notwithstanding all this, the Commissioners of Inland 667 Revenue refused any inquiry, and, as a consequence, he has to remove his family at very great expense from Dublin to Aberdeen; and whether, on inquiry, he will interfere to prevent similar cases, which are at present the cause of much discontent in the Inland Revenue Department?
§ MR. GOSCHENIt is not true that Inland Revenue officers are often removed on slight complaints to distant parts of the United Kingdom; but such a measure has to be taken from time to time in the interests of discipline where serious misconduct has occurred, and I do not propose to interfere with the discretion of the Board in this matter. In the case to which the hon. Member refers previous complaints had been made of the officer's conduct, and he had an opportunity of producing witnesses when the charge was made.