HC Deb 17 March 1904 vol 131 cc1410-1
MR. GIBSON BOWLES

I beg to; ask the First Lord of the Treasury has any decision been arrived at by His Majesty's Government for giving the House an opportunity to discuss the advisability of giving effect to the recommendation of the Committee on National Expenditure, that an Estimates Committee should be appointed each session for examination of and report upon one Class of the Estimates; and has the form of a Motion on which such a discussion may take place been now considered and decided.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I am afraid I have no satisfactory answer to give to my hon. friend. I hoped to have some conversation with the right hon. Gentleman opposite on the subject, and entirely through my own fault no opportunity has yet arisen.

MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL (Oldham)

Will the right hon. Gentleman take into consideration the fact that this Committee was appointed on his own initiative to provide machinery, supplementary and complementary, to his own Supply Rule and the new Rules of Procedure.

MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Gentleman is now entering into argument.

MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL

With great respect, Sir, I claim to finish by asking whether, having regard to the fact I have stated, the right hon. Gentleman will assign some day before which he may possibly find some opportunity of consulting with the right hon. Gentleman opposite.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I have no reason to believe that any opportunity for conversation such as the right hon. Gentleman could give me will be postponed to a late date. I must take exception to the argument which appeared to underlie the statements of the hon. Member, that we are specially bound to spare a day for the discussion of the Report of this Committee because of our initiation. If the Government acceded to the request to investigate, this does not lay upon us any special responsibility to find time to discuss the Report of the Committee. I believe I am not wrong in saying that the recommendations which my hon. friend is so anxious to discuss were carried in the Committee itself by a single Vote.

MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL

Will my right hon. friend endeavour to secure an opportunity for the consultation with the right hon. Gentleman after Questions; this afternoon"

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I must say my hon. friend is trespassing on the individual liberties of both sides of the House when he endeavours to prescribe to us the precise hour at which we should come into consultation.