HC Deb 27 March 1905 vol 143 cc1215-6
MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he can give an undertaking that, in accordance with the recommendation, dated July 7th, 1903, of the Committee on National Expenditure, at least one day will this year be provided for the consideration by the House of Commons of the Reports of the Public Accounts Committee, and an opportunity be given of taking a decision upon the recommendations therein.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

There is really nothing for me to add to the general line of policy I have before suggested to the House, and which I am sure my hon. friend will deem to be reasonable. If the House generally desires it, I shall be happy to place at the disposal of the House one of the days allotted to Supply. If the House does not desire this, I should be very glad to find another opportunity, but in the present state of business I can give no pledge at all on the subject. The favourable wish I have expressed must not at some future time be taken as implying a willingness to sacrifice even greater interests to meet the wishes of my hon. friend.

MR. GIBSON BOWLES

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his reply, which is purely hypothetical and founded on conjecture. I desire to ask the right hon. Gentleman if he will communicate with the Patronage Secretary with a view to the withdrawal of my name from the Committee, upon which it was placed without my consent.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I am sure there are methods by which my hon. friend can be relieved from the labour of serving on the Committee if he does not desire to serve upon it.

MR. GIBSON BOWLES

I do most earnestly desire to serve on the Committee, but the condition upon which I undertook to serve last year was broken, and, as I have no promise that the condition will be fulfilled this year, I desire to be excused from serving.

*THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY (Sir A. ACLAND-HOOD, Somersetshire, Wellington)

May I explain that I approached my hon. friend early in the session with regard to his serving on the Public Accounts Committee, and my hon. friend then said he was willing to serve if a special day were set apart for the discussion of the Report of the Committee. There was a strong desire in the House that the Public Accounts Committee should consider the Report with the least possible delay (the Report of the Auditor-General on the Wastage of Stores), and therefore it was necessary to appoint that Committee at once. As my hon. friend was out of town, I nominated him for the Committee, and wrote to him telling him that I had done so, because this Report was one in which he took great interest and one in regard to which his services would be eminently useful. I told my hon. friend that if the Prime Minister was unable to give a special day for the discussion of the Report it would be perfectly open to him to withdraw from the Committee. Indeed, I think he might have complained had I failed to nominate him. I think my hon. friend should adopt that course, and I believe it is the easiest, safest, and most courteous course that could be adopted.

MR. GIBSON BOWLES

said he had not charged his right hon. friend with discourtesy towards himself. He was not willing to serve on the Committee, except on the condition that there should be a day for the discussion of the Report. He understood his right hon. friend's kindness in putting his name on the Committee, and his right hon. friend would appreciate his desire to withdraw from the Committee, as the condition had not been fulfilled.