§ MR. FIELDTo ask the Prime Minister, whether, with reference to Section 6 of The Exchequer and Audit Departments Act, 1866, the position of Comptroller and Auditor General, with a salary of £2,000 per annum attached to it, is a patronage appointment in the gift of the Crown; whether the appointments for some time past have been in the nature of selections by the Treasury from amongst permanent Civil Servants; and, if so, whether, having regard to the nature of the duties performed by the Comptroller and Auditor-General, and the independent position of the office, the selections for future appointments will be made by the Government and independent of the permanent officials of the Treasury.
§ (Answered by Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman.) The Answer to the first and second parts of the Question is in the affirmative. The selection for any future appointment will be made by the Prime Minister for the time being, who will, I am confident, use his best endeavours to secure the services of the person who happens to be most suitable for discharging the duties of this important post.
§ MR. FIELDTo ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the position of Comptroller and Auditor-General has never been occupied by an Irishman, and that all the Irish public accounts are audited by this official, the Government will in future consider the claims of Irishmen as well as those of Englishmen and Scotchmen in making appointments to this post.
§ (Answered by Sir H. Campbell Bannerman.) I know of no reason why an Irishman should be debarred from applying for this position, nor can I suppose that his claims and qualifications would receive the less consideration because of his nationality.