§ MR. R. T. HERMON-HODGE (Oxon, Henley)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the auditor of the Headington (Oxon) district has refused to pass parish 1254 council accounts where a subscription of one guinea has been paid to the Parish Councils Association, and whether such subscriptions are legal or not; if legal, whether the Local Government Board will advise parish councils and public auditors to that effect?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. T. W. RUSSELL,) Tyrone, S.I understand the Auditor of the district, which includes the Headington Union, has made; a disallowance, not of a subscription to the Association referred to, but of a charge for more than one copy of a publication issued by that Association. I may, however, state generally, that the Local Government Board are of opinion that there is no legal authority for the payment by a parish council out of their funds of a subscription to the Association.
§ MR. HERMON-HODGEdesired lo ask whether the lion. Gentleman would consider the advisability of making these subscriptions legal, in view of the great value of the information supplied by that Association to parish councils, which as a rule were in great need of advice?
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELLThe proposal of the hon. Gentleman would mean legislation, and I can give no undertaking as to this.