§ MR. BUCHANAN () Aberdeenshire, E.I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, seeing that it is the practice of the House that Estimates should be presented within ten days after the opening of Committee of Supply, he will explain why, although ten days have now elapsed, neither Army, Navy, Civil Service, nor Revenue Estimates have been presented.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe Civil Service and Navy Estimates were laid in 820 dummy on the 8th and 9th of the present month. The Army Estimates have been laid to-day.
§ MR. BUCHANANBut according to the rule of the House the circulation of the Estimates is contemplated within ten days of the opening of Parliament. Vet none of these Estimates are in our hands.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not venture to say precisely what is the object of a resolution passed so long ago as 1821, but we have followed the practice constantly adopted by preceding Governments. It is actually impossible to prepare the Estimates and circulate them ten days after the opening of the session, when the session begins as early as in the present year.
§ MR. BUCHANANIs there any case on record in which the House has been in session more than three weeks and yet the Estimates are not ready?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI should think there are cases, but, as I said before, if the House, for exceptional reasons, meets exceptionally early, as was the case in the present year, it is absolutely impossible for the Departments concerned to get the Estimates ready at the time suggested.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN () Stirling BurghsI wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman what the business will be to-morrow and in the early days of next week; and also when the Civil Service Estimates will be in the hands of Members? By some mistake of the printers, I suppose, the Vote on Account was circulated this morning, and, of course, the Vote on Account cannot be considered until the Estimates on account of which the Vote is proposed are in the hands of Members.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT () Monmouthshire, W.Will the whole of the Estimates be delivered to this House at a reasonable time before the Budget? That is the material point.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI hope the whole of the Estimates will be in the. hands of Members a reasonable time before the Budget is introduced. The Civil Service Estimates will be at the Vote Office on Saturday, and I suppose they will be circulated on Monday morning. I 821 think the right hon. Gentleman has committed himself rather rashly to the doctrine that we ought not to take the Vote on Account until the Civil Service Estimates are in the hands of Members. I am not sure there is any rule or practice to that effect.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANIs there any precedent for doing it?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes. I believe there was a precedent in 1890. It is clearly not very important, when Members are discussing the Vote on Account, to have the precise Estimates for the year. I hope, therefore, the right hon. Gentleman will not raise any objection to our taking the Vote on Account to-morrow.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI think it is likely there will be objection.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURIf objection is to be raised I think I ought to take Bills to-night and put the Civil Service Estimates down for to-morrow. I should wish to meet the views of the House on this subject.
§ MR. CALDWELLHow can it be possible to discuss the Vote on Account if the Estimates are not in the hands of the Speaker? How can he tell whether the subject upon which it is proposed to raise a discussion comes under the Estimates without seeing them?
§ * MR. SPEAKERThe Chairman of Committees will have to deal with that.
§ MR. CALDWELLIs there any precedent for taking a Vote on Account without the Estimates being in the hands of the Chair?
§ * MR. SPEAKERYes, there are precedents for taking a Vote on Account before the Estimates are circulated.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANWhat is the business for next week?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURWe propose to take the Navy Estimates on Monday.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANAnd when will the Navy Estimates be in the hands of Members?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURTo-morrow evening. This arrangement is, I believe, strictly in accordance with precedent. They are constantly being introduced 822 with this amount of knowledge and notice. With regard to the business to-morrow night I am very anxious to get the views of the House. So far as the Government are concerned it makes no difference to us which course we take, but I think that probably the better plan will be to take the Civil Service Estimates to-night, and the Vote on Account to-morrow. I think we should settle this now.
§ * SIR JOHN COLOMBWith regard to the Navy Estimates, which are to be taken on Monday, will the First Lord of the Admiralty make his statement with Mr. Speaker in the chair or after?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI think my right hon. friend proposes this year to follow the precedent which he has himself set on more than one occasion, and to make his statement with the Speaker in the chair.
SIR U. KAY - SHUTTLEWORTH () Lancashire, ClitheroeI presume that under those circumstances there will be an adjournment after the First Lord's statement, as there was on the last occasion.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI understand that that adjournment was due to the fact that on that occasion the Estimates had not been circulated. On this occasion they will, I hope, be in the hands of Members in sufficient time to enable them to make a general survey of the questions raised.
§ SIR. H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThe right hon. Gentleman has spoken of varying the programme to-night by taking Bills instead of Civil Service Estimates. May I point out that, as no one expected these Bills to come on, such a course would be attended with the greatest inconvenience? In some of these Bills, such, for instance, as the Companies Bill, there is a great amount of interest, and many Members interested are not present.
§ * SIR CHARLES DILKE () Gloucestershire, Forest of DeanIs not the right hon. Gentleman assuming that the Civil Service Supplementary Estimates will be voted in one sitting? Is it not the case that for several years past they have usually occupied more than one night?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURIt is possible that they may occupy more than one 823 night, but even in that case I still think it desirable to take the Vote on Account to-morrow at the beginning of the sitting, so as to give the House the full licence of a whole night's debate for dealing with any topics that the Vote may suggest.
§ MR. SOAMES () Norfolk, S.Do the Government propose to take Tuesday next?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, I think we shall have to take it.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes.
§ MR. LABOUCHERE () NorthamptonWill the right hon. Gentleman tell the House if he intends to take Bills tonight? One of them, the Railways Bill, was only distributed this morning, while as to the Ecclesiastical Assessments (Scotland) Bill, I know absolutely nothing, and indeed want to know nothing, about it. But what does the right hon. Gentleman propose to do?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURAfter the statement of the Leader of the. Opposition I shall not, of course, think of taking the Bills to-night. He says it would be unfair to the House, and I cannot go against his opinion. The original programme, therefore, stands.