§ MR. NANNETTI (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will state what was the net amount paid over to county and borough councils in England and Scotland respectively, in respect of licences for male servants, carriages, armorial bearings, and dogs in the year ended 31st December, 1903; what percentage is deducted by the Inland Revenue for collecting and allocating 396 these licence duties before handing over the proceeds to county and borough councils; and what was the annual amount fixed to be paid to Ireland as an equivalent grant at the time these licence duties were diverted from the Imperial Exchequer to the local taxation account for England and Scotland on the passing of the English Local Government Act.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY (Mr. VICTOR CAVENDISH,) Derbyshire, W.The first part of the Question refers to the Local Government Board and the Scottish Office. The amounts paid to the local taxation account under each head for the year ended 31st March last are shown on page 55 of the last Report of the Inland Revenue Commissioners. No charge is made by the Inland Revenue Department for collecting the duties referred to. An annual sum of £40,000 has been paid since 1890–91 as the Exchequer contribution to Ireland under Section 5 of the Land Purchase Act, 1891, in consideration of the benefit which England and Scotland obtained when the licence duties were transferred to the local taxation account in Great Britain.