§ MR. COCHRANE (Ayrshire, N.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether be is now in possession of any information as to the wishes of a number of the Representatives of Scotland in favour of an inquiry into the financial relations of Scotland to the Imperial Exchequer; and, if so, whether the Government will take immediate steps to give effect to such wishes?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEI received last week from my hon. Friend the Member for the College Division of Glasgow an intimation that a number of Scotch constituencies had arrived at a resolution that it would be satisfactory to them if an inquiry were to be proposed by means of a Select Committee to investigate the financial relations of Scotland at the commencement of the coming Session. Other information has been supplied to mo to a corresponding effect, with respect to the views of constituencies not in harmony with the present Government. We are, consequently, of opinion that it would be proper to propose an inquiry of that kind in the next Session.