§ MR. MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the Malta Store Accounts for 1890–91 will be available for perusal by hon. Members before the discussions on the Army Estimates, so that the House may have full information of the clothing frauds in the Maltese establishment, whereby the stores are found to be deficient by 118,341 articles of "clothing," including 36,364 pairs of boots, more than 15,000 frocks, and more than 20,000 trousers; and whether the Government has adopted the definition of "public claim" given by the "Brown-low" Committee, which "excludes responsibility for loss or deficiency of stores"?
§ MR. E. STANHOPEThe Controller and Auditor General has called attention to the clothing frauds at Malta, and his Report has been referred to the Public Accounts Committee. The clothing alluded to was a store of worn-out garments set aside to be sold as old clothes. The definition of "public claim" referred to has been accepted by the Government; but so far from its excluding responsibility for deficiency of stores, the officer responsible in this case has been convicted by Court Martial and sentenced to five years' penal servitude. The store accounts of Malta cannot be made available for the perusal of Members.