§ MR. FIELDTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, seeing that, in reply to Questions 1733–9, Sir George Murray, in his evidence before the Select Committee on National Expenditure, on the 4th of November, 1902, stated that Members of the House of Commons could more intelligently criticise Estimates by studying departmental administration and by communicating with departmental officials, he will explain why the Comptroller and Auditor-General recently drew the special attention of his subordinates to certain office rules prohibiting official information of any kind to Members of the House of Commons under pain of dismissal.
(Answered by Mr. Runciman.) In reply to the last part of the Question I have nothing to add to my Answer of the 11th April last.†As regards the first part of the Question, it must be obvious to the hon. Member that communication between Members of Parliament and the heads of Departments was suggested, and of course no interference was intended with the discretion of the head of a Department as to the information to be imparted.