§ DR. COOPER (Southwark, Bermondsey)To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he can state what was the total sum of money voted by the Corporation of the City of London to provide refreshments to its committees for the year ending 31st December, 1905; whether the accounts of the City of London are audited by the Local Government Board; and, if so, whether he will consider the advisability of instituting a public inquiry into this expenditure of public money on refreshments similar to the recent inquiry at Poplar.
§ (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) I have made inquiry on this subject, and am informed that it has been the practice for the Corporation to make certain allowances to their committees for their expenses, that these allowances are not provided out of the rates, and are not used solely for purposes of refreshment, but for a number of other purposes as well. The amount of these allowances for the year referred to is not stated. The accounts of the Corporation are not audited by an auditor appointed by the Local Government Board.