§ MR. HANBURYI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury how much of the annual sum of £965, about to be commuted and paid in full to the Master of the Hawks for his sole use, was set apart for the employment of servants who are not now employed, and for the keep of hawks which are not kept; when such payments ceased to be applied to the purposes for which they were so set apart; whether these payments have since been applied by the Master of the Hawks to his own use, and what is the total amount of these payments so appropriated; at what rate the salary of the Master of the Hawks is to be commuted; and at what rate the payments for servants not employed and birds not kept are to be commuted?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. JACKSON,) Leeds, N.The emoluments attaching to the Mastership of the Hawks as granted by the original patent were given in the Appendix to the Report of the Select Committee of 1887, according to which they consisted of— 1171 salary of the master, £391 1s. 5d.; four falconers, at £50 per annum each, £200; allowance for hawks, &c, £782 10s.—total, £1,373 l1s. 5d. These payments were subject to deductions in respect of land tax and fees, reducing to £965 the total sum payable to the Duke of St. Albans. It is not precisely known how these deductions were made, and therefore it is only possible to assume that they were made rateably from the salary and the allowances. On this assumption, £275 would represent the salary of the master, and £690 allowances. It is not on record when the allowances ceased to be applied for the purposes for which they were originally intended. The Treasury have no cognisance of the application of these allowances, but they have been advised by the Law Officers on more than one occasion that the payment of the allowances as well as of the salary is binding on the State. The Treasury, in the offer which they have made to the Duke, had in mind the recommendation of the Select Committee, that payments to holders of hereditary offices where no service is rendered should cease with the life of the present holder.
§ MR. HANBURYDO I understand the right hon. Gentleman to say that the Treasury have made no inquiry?
§ MR. JACKSONI did not say that the Treasury have made no inquiry. I said the Treasury have been unable to ascertain.