§ MR. GINNELLI beg to ask the Prime Minister, in view of the admission of the Treasury that the amendments proposed to be made in the Treasury Rules under the Land Act of 1903 will not in any way secure either the purchasers or the ratepayers against the losses consequent upon the present system of paying money irrespective of value, will the House of Commons be afforded an opportunity of discussing those amendments before their adoption; and, if so, when.
I beg also to ask the Prime Minister, seeing that exorbitancy of price in excess of value constitutes the greatest danger in connection with land purchase finance, and that the proposed amendments of Treasury Rules afford no protection in that respect, whether the promised discussion of that subject will be so arranged as to allow the method of inflating prices and inflating bonus to be dealt with.
§ MR. RUNCIMANThe proposed amendment of the Treasury Rules is for the sole purpose of enabling the working balance on the account of the Irish Land Purchase Fund to be used in order to avoid charging local taxation grants in full with purely temporary charges—viz., arrears and interest on investments accrued but not received. I do not consider that there is any need for discussion on this small amendment. There is no power to deal in the Treasury Rules with the matters referred to in the Questions.