§ MR. SLOANTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that the Board of Inland Revenue consulted the chief inspector of taxes on the subject of the memorial of the surveyors of taxes last year, he will explain if the present chief inspector of taxes is opposed to the establishment of the surveyors' clerks; whether he is aware that the present chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue recommended a scheme of establishment to the Treasury in 1899; whether he will state why the Treasury would not sanction such scheme; and whether, seeing that the Inland Revenue officials are in favour of establishment of these clerks, and that such clerks would have been established in 1899 only for the Treasury officials objection, he will, under these circumstances, direct 65 an inquiry to be held at which the surveyors and their clerks could be represented.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) I have already fully stated the reasons by which the Treasury were guided in their decision, for which they assume the whole responsibility; and, while I do not admit the accuracy of all the statements of the hon. Member, I consider it undesirable in the public interests that inter-departmental correspondence, which is of a confidential character, should be discussed by Question and Answer.