§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That a Supplementary sum not exceeding £10, be granted to His Majesty to defray the Charge which will ensue in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1017, for Pay, etc., of the Army."
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Mr. Forster)This Estimate is presented in order to obtain Parliamentary authority to enable us to appropriate receipts in aid of expenditure and so to reduce the amount to be taken out of the Vote of Credit. We are not allowed to use our cash receipts unless we receive the prior sanction of Parliament. In ordinary times authority is given when the Estimates are first passed, but during the War, when the Army Estimates are presented in Token form, the amount authorised by Parliament by way of Appropriation-in-Aid does not really 1513 represent the full amount of cash which we receive in the course of the year. We have at present authority to spend up to £1,500 by way of Appropriations-in-Aid, whereas we shall have received by the end of the financial year something like £40,000,000. It would be possible for those receipts to go into the Exchequer and for us to draw a corresponding additional sum on the Vote of Credit, but the Treasury considered the course now taken to be the most convenient, and it was therefore decided that a Supplementary Estimate of this kind should be presented before the close of the financial year, by which time we should be able to make a fairly close estimate of the total amount of the receipts. Perhaps I may say that the principal source of the receipts are repayments by the Indian, Colonial, and Allied Governments of expenses incurred by the Imperial Government on their behalf, and this includes large sums for the maintenance of the Dominion Forces in the field. The House will bear in mind the fact that the splendid patriotic assistance of the Dominions includes the cost of their troops as well as the provision of their food, clothing, etc. This is a technical matter. I do not think there are any questions of policy arising, and what is done is really to preserve the full authority of Parliament over the expenditure.
§ Mr. KINGHaving followed the matter with very great care, I must say it is most encouraging to those who have so often stood up for financial control that the Treasury should now bring this money under Parliamentary control when they might have done otherwise. I should like to thank the hon. Gentleman and the Treasury for the line which they have taken, which is correct and useful from a Parliamentary point of view.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Resolution to be reported upon Monday next; Committee to sit again upon Monday next.