48. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the number of questions answered by the Financial Secretary to the War Office on matters outside his own Department and upon which he has had confessedly neither time nor opportunity to inform himself fully; whether he is aware that this system is unsatisfactory to Members who desire to receive information from a responsible Minister, and that, by distracting the attention of the Minister from his own Department, it is detrimental to the exercise of proper financial control; and whether he proposes to take any action?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEIt is quite true that my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary has often to answer questions not immediately concerned with his own Department, but these have always been approved and considered by the responsible head of the branch before my hon. Friend gives them. It is quite impossible for any Secretary of State, with the multifarious and responsible duties cast upon him, to undertake to answer personally all questions for which my hon. Friend is not responsible. If Members would only realise the enormous amount of trouble given to an already overworked Department by these questions, many of which have already been 28 answered in this House, I am sure they would consider whether there are no other means of eliciting the information they seek. For instance, there are many questions which can be far more speedily answered by direct reference to the Departments of the War Office immediately concerned, and I am circulating to Members in the next few days a leaflet giving information on this subject.
Mr. SCOTTArising out of this indication that "the weary Titan staggers under the too vast orb of his fate," may I ask the right hon. Gentleman how he reconciles this with his previous answer, that he will not consent to the devolution of the work of supplying soldiers to a Civilian Department.
§ Mr. HOGGEWill my right hon. Friend consider the advisability of sending out regularly to Members of this House such things as Army Orders which convey information, and which would obviate the necessity of a great many of us putting down these questions?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEYes; but I must consider that very carefully before giving an answer. Perhaps my hon. Friend will put a question down.