§ MR. HAYDENI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he is aware that the then Attorney General (now Lord Chief Justice of England), during or about the month of June, 1894, advised payment of the £30 annuity and £1,000 to Colonel Edward Mitchell, 1382 Royal Engineers, in respect of his claim for certain money in connection with his retirement from the Army, and also forwarded to the Treasury in support of his recommendation a certificate, dated 1st June, 1894, from Colonel Mitchell's counsel, Mr. A. R. Jelf; will he explain why the sum of money mentioned has nevertheless not yet been paid to Colonel Mitchell; whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the recommendation of the Attorney General and the certificate of counsel referred to; whether he is aware that a large sum of money was long ago voted by Parliament to provide compensation for officers who might have sustained loss by enforced rules of retirement; and whether between 1890 and 1896 over £62,000 of that fund was utilised for the purpose for which it was voted?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.I am not aware that there is in existence any opinion such as that referred to by the honourable Member in the first paragraph of the Question, neither, if such an opinion existed, would it be in consonance with Parliamentary traditions or practice to lay it on the Table. As regards the last three paragraphs, the honourable Member seems to be under the impression that Parliament voted a fund out of which compensation was given to officers on compulsory retirement. I understand that that is not the case. When any money has been voted for the purpose, it has appeared in the ordinary Estimates for the year.