§ DR. MACNAMARAI beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the statutory obligation to present his Annual Report to Parliament before the last day of July in each year, he will explain why, in the last session of Parliament, the Report was not presented until 8th August; and why, seeing that the Savings Bank Act, 1904 (4 Edw. VII., c. 8) releasing him from the obligation to prepare a balance-sheet did not become law until 1st August, he will explain the omission to lay a balance-sheet last year before Parliament.
LORD STANLEYI am not aware that the Postmaster-General is under any statutory obligation to present an Annual Report to Parliament before the last day of July in each year, and I shall be obliged if the hon. Member will cite the Statute to which he refers. The balance-sheet required to be presented to Parliament by Sec. 9 of the Post Office Savings Bank Act of 1861 (the section to which the hon. Member refers as having been repealed by the Act of 1904) was presented on 14th June, 1904 (House of Commons Paper No. 211).