HC Deb 30 April 1906 vol 156 cc278-9

I shall deal in a later part of my statement with the disposition of this welcome and unanticipated addition to my resources; but for the moment it may be interesting to the Committee to learn how it has been brought into existence. Hon. Members will see from the statement supplied to them how the estimated expenditure compares with the actual Exchequer issues. The estimated expenditure of £142,032,000 was increased by supplementary estimates amounting to £172,000, making the anticipated total £142,204,000. But the sum actually issued from the Exchequer was only £140,512,000, or less than the anticipated total by £1,692,000, and less than the Budget estimate by £1,520,000. This diminution has been entirely due to ascertained and estimated savings in the Supply services. The savings are contributed to in a greater or less degree by almost every spending department, and considerably more than half of the whole, or £963,000, is due to the War Office. In order to realise what has been the actual total expenditure met out of revenue, we must add to the items I have mentioned the sum which is intercepted from the Exchequer out of the proceeds of Customs and Inland Revenue and is paid over to the Local Taxation Account. In 1905–6 the sum so paid over was £9,901,000. Thus, as the Committee will see, the total expenditure of the year provided from revenue was £150,413,000. I lay stress on the words "provided from revenue," because there were in addition issues on capital accouut amounting to £6,148,000, which I shall deal with when I come to speak of the national indebtedness.