§ MR. JOHN ELLIS (Nottinghamshire, Rushcliffe)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether any instructions have been or are intended to be given by the Government to certain of the public Departments with respect to information to be supplied by them in connection with the inquiry suggested into fiscal policy, and, in that case, to what Departments have such instructions been given; and will he lay their terms before the House.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe public Departments chiefly concerned are, as the hon. Gentleman is no doubt aware, the Board of Trade and the Customs and Inland Revenue. I do not propose to lay on the Table of the House the details of any instructions which may be given to these departments.
§ MR. JOHN ELLISMay I ask whether any instructions have already been given?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURSome instructions have been given and no doubt some instructions remain to be given.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLWill the clerks get paid for the extra labour involved?
§ [No answer was returned.]
§ *MR. SOAMES (Norfolk, S.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the inquiry into the fiscal proposals of the Colonial Secretary has begun; whether it is expected that it will be concluded before the end of the present session; whether the result of the inquiry will be communicated to Parliament or to the country; and, if so, by what means.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURAs the hon. Member is well aware, the inquiry has begun; but I do not propose to suggest any answer to the second and third Questions.
§ MR. BLACK (Banffshire)I wish to ask whether the Government has come to a decision that the only effective method of causing Germany to restore 416 Canada to the most-favoured-nation treatment is by imposing a retaliatory duty in this country.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURNo, Sir. I have no Government decision to announce on the subject.
§ [No reply was made.]