§ Mr. PIRIEasked the Lord Advocate, with reference to the Scottish deputation at Dover House on the 2nd instant, and seeing that a Return is in existence giving the expenses in other details of similar deputations in the past, if he can explain why it is impossible in the present instance for him to give an estimate of the expenses falling on the ratepayers of Scotland for the deputation in question; and could he also state the approximate number present from Scotland on that occasion, excluding Members from this House; may I also ask, as the Scottish Office seem to be unaware of the Return in question, whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that the expenses of the deputations from Scotland for five years 373 was £37,500, or an annual average of £7,500, and whether he does not think that the annual average will be much increased this year if the practice of receiving deputations goes on?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member had better hear the answer.
§ The LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. Ure)By applying to the local authorities concerned after their accounts have been made up, it would no doubt be possible to obtain a statement of the actual expenses occasioned by the deputation referred to. My hon. Friend asks me for an estimate. That, however, I should not be justified in making; and I see no sufficient reason for calling for another Return, considering that the general Return for Scotland referred to was issued in 1909. The approximate number of the deputation on the occasion referred to, excluding Members of this House, was about eighty.
§ Mr. PIRIEAm I to understand that the expenses of each individual are about £10, so that the expense of this deputation was about £800. Is it worth while to encourage such expenditure for the result obtained? Will the right hon. Gentleman grant a continuation of the Return if I put a Motion on the Paper?
§ Mr. PIRIEasked the number and the nature of the deputations from Scotland which were received at Dover House during the week beginning Monday 30th October and the respective dates on which they were received?
§ Mr. UREDuring the week mentioned the following deputations from Scotland were received by the Secretary for Scotland and myself at Dover House:—On Monday, 30th October, a deputation of about thirty persons, and on Tuesday, 31st October, a deputation of about thirty-five persons, representative in each case of the Corporation of Glasgow and a number of parish councils and others with reference to the House Letting and Rating (Scotland) Bill; on Wednesday, 1st November, a deputation of about twenty-four persons representing the County Councils Association and the Convention of Royal Burghs with reference to the National Insurance Bill; on Thursday, 2nd November, a deputation of about eighty persons representing the various educational authorities 374 in Scotland with reference to the Allocation of the Education (Scotland) Fund. The numbers I have just given relate to the deputations and do not include the Members of Parliament who accompanied them.
§ Mr. PIRIEMay we take it that this sort of thing has been going on every week during the Autumn Session?
§ Mr. WATTWas it at the request of the Scottish Office that these large deputations came from Scotland, and can the right hon. Gentleman say if it would not be better if they went to Edinburgh?
§ Mr. UREIt was not at the request of the Scottish Office. They themselves requested that they should be received in London, and that the meeting should take place after the assembling of Parliament.