§ Sir FREDERICK DIXON-HARTLANDasked whether the Board of Admiralty were individually responsible for the Naval Estimates or not; and, if so, what was the object of the Order in Council of 14th January, 1869?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe Navy Estimates are signed by the members of the Board, who thereby accept such individual and collective responsibility as the fact of appending their signatures would convey. No record of the object with which the Order in Council was framed beyond what appears on the face of it exists in official papers. As, however, it was rescinded in 1872 it has no force at this date.
§ Sir F. DIXON-HARTLANDAm I to understand that the whole of the Board sign the accounts? Are they all responsible?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe recent practice—I think for upwards of 30 years—has been for all the Board to sign the Estimates.
§ Sir F. DIXON-HARTLANDAnd they do so?
§ Mr. McKENNAThat has been the recent practice for upwards of 30 years.
§ Mr. CHARLES CRAIGWhat amount of responsibility exactly is conveyed by the appending of signatures by the various members of the Board of Admiralty?
§ Mr. McKENNAJust the ordinary responsibility which is conveyed by appending a signature to any document.
§ Mr. CHARLES CRAIGIn view of the fact that that varies according to the document—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is a matter of argument.