§ MR. SLOANTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that the Board of Inland Revenue have frequently urged the establishment of the clerks to surveyors of taxes, and that the Treasury officials refuse all such schemes submitted to them, he will state his reasons for refusing to order an independent inquiry into the case of these clerks, especially in view of the fact 1039 that the surveyors recently petitioned the Board of Inland Revenue praying for their clerks establishment in the interests of the Revenue and the public.
(Answered by Mr. M'Kenna.) I have already stated, in answer to a Question on the 26th ultimo of the hon. Member for South Down, the reasons for this refusal. They are "That all the facts are fully known, that they have been carefully examined and considered both by the Treasury and by the Board on more than one occasion in recent years, and that there is no reason to suppose that further inquiry would affect the judgment of the Treasury or of the Board of Inland Revenue."
§ MR. SLOANTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that the Board of Inland Revenue consulted the chief inspector and his assistants, on the surveyor's memorial last year, praying for the establishment of clerks to surveyors of taxes, he will state how many inspectors are employed by such Board; whether he is aware that the majority of the inspectors strongly urge the establishment of these clerks; whether he will state how many of such inspectors are in favour of such establishment; and whether the Board of Inland Revenue acted upon the advice of such inspectors in refusing the surveyor's prayer; and, if not, will he explain upon what grounds the Board based their refusal, seeing that not one of the members of such Board ever worked in a surveyor's office.
(Answered by Mr. M'Kenna.) There are altogether six superintending inspectors and sixteen inspectors. I am not prepared to enter into any question as to the individual opinions of the several inspectors. The surveyors were informed of the grounds of refusal in a Minute of the Board of Inland Revenue, dated July 28th, 1905. As I stated in reply to an unstarred Question of the hon. Member for South Down on June 21st last, the present system is preferred, not only as being more economical, but also as more convenient for adaptation of the staff to the requirements of the localities.