§ MR. DILLONI desire, sir, with your permission, to say a few words in the nature of a personal explanation. Last Friday I asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether I was correct in stating that, in my recollection, the Government had at an earlier date in the Session declared their intention of submitting a Bill in Parliament for the grant to Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. The right hon. Gentleman on that occasion declared that I was incorrect, and that the Government haul made no such statement, and that he had all through expressed his intention of proceeding according to the arrangement now proposed. I think I am entitled to try to prove that my memory was accurate, and I would point out that on February 17 last I put a question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the first reference made during the present Session, I think, to the proposed grant. I asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it was proposed to ask the House to vote any sum to Lord Kitchener in respect of the battle of Omdurman, and, if so, when the Vote would be taken; and I also asked whether the procedure would be by Bill or by Vote. The Chancellor of the Exchequer answered:
Yes, sir; we shall ask the House of Commons to vote a sum of £30,000, which will probably be invested in the purchase of fin annuity for Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. I think the procedure must be by Bill, and it will be taken at an early date.I think I am entitled to call the attention of the First Lord of the Treasury to two subsequent occasions on which the matter was referred to, for it will be in the memory of the House that he said that he had in his mind all along the proceeding by Vote in Committee of Supply. On the 20th February 310 the hon. Member for East Clare asked the First Lord of the Treasury at what date the Bill for giving Lord Kitchener —30,000 would be introduced; and the First Lord replied:I am afraid I cannot give all answer to the question at present. As the hon. Gentleman knows, I rather hoped to begin the ordinary legislative work of the Session to-day. That hope has been disappointed, and the ordinary work cannot now begin until Thursday. If the hon. Gentleman will ask the question on Thursday, I will endeavour to answer him.Whereupon the hon. Gentleman the Member for East Clare said he would put the question on Thursday. On the 23rd February the hon. Member for Kilkenny asked the following question, on behalf of the lion. Member for East Clare:When the Bill to grant £30,000 to Lord Kitchener will he introduced.The First Lord of the Treasury replied:I cannot give a definite answer to this question, but I will undertake to give a week's notice before any steps in the matter are taken by the Government.I do not for one moment insinuate, nor do I. believe, that the First Lord of the Treasury had any intention of deceiving the House of Commons, but the House is entitled to get the information which it asked for. I am also entitled to prove that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in reply to a question, declared that the procedure would be by way of Bill, and not by Vote in Committee of Supply; and I think I have established the fact that I was right.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURAs the hon. Member has appealed to me, I gladly recognise that there is some justification for the view he took. It is, however, the fact that I had forgotten the particular questions and answers to which he has referred. It is also the fact that it was desired that the question should be dealt with in Committee of Supply by way of a Vote, rather than by a Bill. There were, no doubt, precedents which seem to be in favour of proceeding by Bill rather than by Vote, but investigations show that the precedents as a whole point to the procedure by Vote in Committee of Supply. As 1 am on my legs, it may be convenient for the House to know that on Thursday next I shall propose a resolution embodying the thanks of this House to the officers and men engaged in the Soudan campaign.