HC Deb 07 August 1896 vol 44 cc192-7

(Considered in Committee.)

[Mr. J. W. LOWTHER, CHAIRMAN of WAYS and MEANS, in the Chair.]

1. That it appears by the Navy Appropriation Account for the year ended the 31st day of March 1895, and the statement appended thereto, after adjusting (1) the charge of a sum of £3,143 19s. 0d., and (2) the sum of £70,635 0s. 0d, voted for Interest on advances under the Naval Defence Act 1889, but not issued in consequence of the passing of the Finance Act 1894, as follows, viz.:—

  1. (a.) That the gross expenditure for certain Navy Services exceeded the estimate of such expenditure by a total sum of £399,045 17s. 0d., as shown in Column No. 1 of the Schedule hereto appended; while the gross expenditure for other Navy Services fell short of the estimate of such expenditure by a total sum of £263,165 15s. 7d., as shown in Column No. 2 of the said appended Schedule, so that the gross actual expenditure for the whole of the Navy Services exceeded the gross estimated expenditure by the net sum of £135,880 1s. 5d.;
  2. (b.) That the receipts in aid of certain Navy Services fell short of the estimate of such receipts by a total sum of £71,044 9s. 1d., as shown in Column No. 3 of the said appended Schedule; while the receipts in aid of other Navy Services exceeded the estimate of such receipts by a total sum of £63,108 8s. 11d., as shown in Column No. 4 of the said appended Schedule; so 193 that the total actual receipts in aid of the Grants for Navy Services fell short of the total estimated receipts by the net sum of £7,936 0s. 2d.;
  3. (c.) That the resulting differences between the Exchequer Grants for Navy Services and the net expenditure are as follows, viz.:—
£ s. d.
Total Surpluses … 237,293 8 2
Total Deficits … 381,109 9 9
Net Deficit … £ 143,816 1 7
SCHEDULE.
Number of Vote. Navy Services, 1894–5. Votes. Gross Expenditure. Appropriations in Aid.
Excesses of Actual over Estimated Gross Expenditure. Surpluses of Estimated over Actual Gross Expenditure. Deficiencies of Actual as compared with Estimated Receipts. Surpluses of Actual as compared with Estimated Receipts.
1. 2. 3. 4.
£ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
1 … Wages, etc., of Officers, Seamen and Boys, Coast Guard and Royal Marines … 97,997 10 1 11,655 10 9
2 … Victualling and Clothing for the Navy … 114,234 16 0 13,391 15 5
3 … Medical Establishments and Services … 5,387 0 6 349 17 5
4 … Martial Law … 395 1 10 … 38 10 1
5 … Educational Services … 1,443 0 6 … 723 0 2
6 … Scientific Services 103 18 9 … … 1,282 18 1
7 … Royal Navy Reserves … 13,756 16 0 … 97 5 5
8 … Shipbuilding, Repairs, Maintenance, etc.:
Sec. 1 … Personnel … 479 3 8 661 2 4
See. 2 … Materiel 48,886 8 9 … 28,383 10 6
Sec. 3 … Contract Work … 4,553 14 6 … 3,926 17 9
9 … Naval Armaments 302,877 3 7 … … 57,016 11 7
10 … Works, Buildings and Repairs at Home and Abroad … 23,824 3 6 5,983 18 9
11 … Miscellaneous Effective Services 18,217 3 0 … 1,471 16 3
12 … Admiralty Office … 1,094 9 0 … 23 5 10
13 … Half-Pay, Reserved and Retired Pay 5,799 12 6 … 2,928 11 0
14 … Naval and Marine Pensions, Gratuities, and Compassionate Allowances 6,278 14 4 … 5,690 18 9
15 … Civil Pensions and Gratuities 10,583 1 8 … 72 7 11
16 … Additional Naval Force for Service in Australasian Waters 42 16 0 … 455 0 0
Amount written off as irrecoverable 6,256 18 5
399,045 17 0 263,165 15 7 71,044 9 1 63,108 8 11
Net Deficit, £135,880 1 5 Net Deficit, £7,936 0 2
Total Deficit £143,816 1 7
Deduct—Amount voted for Interest on Advances under the Naval Defence Act 1889, not issued 70,636 0 0
Sum due from the Naval Defence Account, under 52 Vic, c. 8, s. 3 (2) 223,200 4 6
293,836 4 6
Surplus surrendered to the Exchequer £150,020 2 11

4. That it appears by the Army Appropriation Account for the year ended the 31st day of March 1895, and the statement appended thereto, after adjusting the sum of £75,000 voted for Interest on the Imperial Defence Loan, but not

2. That the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have temporarily authorised the application, in reduction of the net charge on Exchequer Grants for certain Navy Services, of the whole of the sums received in excess of the estimated Appropriations in Aid, in respect of the same Services; and have also temporarily authorised the application of the said total surpluses on certain Grants for Navy Services towards meeting the said total deficits on other Grants for Navy Services.

3. Resolved, That the application of such sums be sanctioned. issued in consequence of the passing of the Finance Act 1894, as follows, viz.:—

  1. (a.) That the gross expenditure for certain Army Services exceeded the estimate of such expenditure by a total sum of 195 £55,669 0s. 5d., as shown in Column No. 1 of the Schedule hereto appended; while the gross expenditure for other Army Services fell short of the Estimate of such expenditure by a total sum of £386,907 6s. 2d., as shown in Column No. 2 of the said appended Schedule, so that the gross actual expenditure for the whole of the Army Services fell short of the gross estimated expenditure by the net sum of £331,238 5s. 9d.;
  2. (b.) That the receipts in aid of certain Army Services fell short of the estimate of such receipts by a total sum of £102,488 9s. 4d., as shown in Column No. 3 of the said appended Schedule; while the receipts in aid of other Army Services exceeded the estimate of such receipts by a total sum of £7,054 15s. 9d., as shown in Column No. 4 of the said appended Schedule, so that the total actual receipts in Aid of the Grants for Army Services fell short of the total estimated receipts by the net sum of £95,433 13s. 7d.;

SCHEDULE.
No. of Vote. Army Services, 1894–5. Votes. Gross Expenditure. Appropriations in Aid.
Excesses of Actual over Estimated Gross Expenditure. Surpluses of Estimated over Actual Gross Expenditure. Deficiencies of Actual as compared with Estimated Receipts. Surpluses of Actual as compared with Estimated Receipts.
1. 2. 3. 4.
£ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
1 Pay, etc., of Array (General Staff, Regiments, Reserve, and Departments) … 57,469 9 0 32,724 14 7
2 Medical Establishments: Pay, etc. … 1,760 14 10 … 166 18 5
3 Militia: Pay and Allowances … 59,866 14 5 346 8 1
4 Yeomanry Cavalry: Pay and Allowances … 1,755 10 9 9 15 0
5 Volunteer Corps: Pay and Allowances 427 2 5 … … 168 17 3
6 Transport and Remounts … 9,882 1 11 912 18 6
7 Provisions, Forage, and other Supplies … 150,061 15 5 1,757 0 7
8 Clothing Establishments, and Services 47,590 17 3 … … 1,972 14 0
9 Warlike and other Stores: Supply and Repair … 68,505 1 4 31,714 3 9
10 Works, Buildings, and Repairs: Cost, including Superintending Establishment … 26,495 12 1 17,628 13 2
11 Military Educational Establishments: Pay and Miscellaneous Charges … 136 4 11 2,423 15 4
12 Miscellaneous Effective Services 3,739 17 4 … … 1,034 1 2
13 War Office: Salaries and Miscellaneous Charges … 961 8 1 … 44 0 8
14 Non-effective Charges for Officers, etc … 2,199 18 2 … 3,607 6 1
15 Non-effective Charges for Men, etc. … 7,812 15 3 14,971 0 4
16 Superannuation, Compensation, and Compassionate Allowances 3,433 2 4 … … 60 18 2
Balances irrecoverable 478 1 1
55,669 0 5 386,907 6 2 102,488 9 4 7,054 15 9
Net Surplus, £331,238 5 9 Net Deficit, £95,433 13 7

(c.) That the resulting differences between the Exchequer Grants for Army Services and the net expenditure are as follows, viz.:—

£ s. d.
Total Surpluses 297,682 17 6
Total Deficits 61,878 5 4
Net Surplus £235,804 12 2

5. That the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have temporarily authorised the application, in reduction of the net charge on Exchequer Grants for certain Army Services, of the whole of the sums received in excess of the estimated appropriations in aid, in respect of the same Services, and have also temporarily authorised the application of so much of the said total surpluses on certain grants for Army Services as is necessary to cover the said total deficits on other Grants for Army Services.

6. Resolved, That the application of such sums be sanctioned.

*THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY,) Preston

, in answer to a question, explained that in 1894–5 (as in previous years) the Treasury exercised the power' which it possessed of transferring money from one Vote to meet increased expenditure under another Vote. That power could only be exercised temporarily. The object of the Resolution was to give the transaction a permanent character under statutory authority.

MR. DALZIEL

wished to know how it was that in one case £399,000 was spent beyond the Estimate?

*MR. HANBURY

said that, in the year to which the hon. Gentleman referred, there was an idea of making the interest on the Suez Canal shares applicable to payment of interest on the Imperial Defence Loan; but the late Chancellor of the Exchequer, by his Budget, altered the arrangement.

Resolutions to be reported To-morrow.