§ MR. BOWLESI beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether collectors of King's taxes are required by the terms of their appointment to give all their time to the duties of their office; whether they are permitted to combine with those duties the ownership and conduct of house, beer, coal, and other agencies; and, if so, whether it is hold to be in the public interest that information obtained in the course of public duty should be used by these officers to further their private concerns.
§ MR. ASQUITHCollectors of taxes are not required to give their whole time to the duties of their office. They may engage in other avocations, including those mentioned. The use of information obtained as a collector of taxes for the furtherance of private interests would be regarded as a serious breach of official trust, and would be appropriately dealt with if brought to the attention of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, or of the General Commissioners of the District, as the case may be.