§ Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINMay I ask whether any expenditure has been incurred on Irish education or on any other services in excess of the sums authorised by Parliament, and if so, what the expenditure has been, and how it has been met?
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEPayable orders have been issued under the directions of the Treasury in respect of public education, Ireland, to the amount of about £140,000 in excess of the provision made in the Vote on Account. A large proportion of these orders are not likely to be presented before the date when a further Vote on Account will have been taken; and arrangements have been made for meeting payments in the meanwhile by an advance from the Civil Contingencies Fund. The only other Vote which shows signs of early exhaustion is that for the Post Office. In this case, as the expenditure upon Voted Services is met in the first instance out of accruing revenue, it is difficult to ascertain precisely the actual outgoings until the accounts have been made up at the end of the month. The Treasury have, however, made temporary advances to cover any payments in excess of the provision already voted. In both cases the action taken was necessary if the stoppage of the service was to be avoided.