§ Mr. MacVEAGHasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will include in the forthcoming list of Members of the House of Commons in receipt of salaries or pensions a list of those Members of the last Conservative Government who received salaries and the amounts of money so drawn by each of them between the years 1895 and 1905?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe hon. Member refers, no doubt, to the list which was circulated with the Votes last Thursday. That list was compiled in response to a question which did not contemplate the inclusion of Members who are not now in receipt of salaries or pensions.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHIs there any objection to letting us have the names and amounts drawn by Members of the last Unionist Government?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEI think it would be a very invidious thing to have a list of names of that kind. After all the information is available to anyone. It is quite open to any Member of the House to add up the figures himself, and if we were to publish lists of that kind it would appear as if we were pillorying Members who simply receive a reward for services to the public.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHHas not the right hon. Gentleman already pilloried all the Members of his own Government? Why cannot we have the names of the Gentlemen on the other bench and see what they got?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEWe ought to set an example in Christian charity:
§ Mr. JOHN WARDSeeing that statements have been made that payment corrupts a man, may we not know how much corruption certain Gentlemen have already had?
§ Mr. JAMES HOPECan the right hon. Gentleman say offhand which of the totals would be the larger?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEI have not the faintest doubt about that.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHDid any of the Gentlemen in the Conservative Government return their cheques on any quarter-day and insist on serving their country without fee or reward?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThere is no record in the Treasury of any transaction of that kind.