§ SIR HOWARD VINCENTI beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer upon what grounds he sanctioned the raising of the salary of his late colleague, the newly appointed Ambassador to the United States, to the same level as that of President Roosevelt, the Chief of the State to which he is accredited, namely, £10,000 a year, and how he proposes to find the necessary funds; and, further, if the Embassy Mansion in Connecticut Avenue, at Washington, is the property of His Majesty's Government, together with its furniture and equipment, and if the new Ambassador has the enjoyment thereof free of rent, rates, and taxes, in addition to his salary; and whether any arrangement has been made by which Mr. Bryce shall retire at the age of sixty-five.
§ MR. ASQUITHIt has been found necessary, for public reasons, to raise the salary attached to the Embassy at Washington, and this was done irrespective of the person appointed Ambassador. The amount will appear in the Estimates and will come before Parliament in the same way as other salaries. The Answer to the latter part of the Question as regards the Embassy buildings is in the affirmative, except that it is only the furniture of the State rooms that is kept up at the public expense; the Ambassador is responsible for the rest of the furniture. There is no rule requiring an Ambassador to retire at sixty-five.
§ SIR HOWARD VINCENTThen can he go on until he is 150 years old?
§ [No Answer was returned.]