§ Postponed Proceeding resumed on Question, "That this House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution."
§ Mr. PROTHEROThat is the explanation of the difficulty of allocating any particular sum to any of the three countries. But I think my hon. Friend may rest quite assured that Scotland will under that Grant obtain all the money that is required for the efficient carrying out of the Bill.
§ Mr. BOOTHThen we have arrived at this, that while £10,000 is ample for England, they also require a further £10,000 for Scotland and Ireland.
§ Mr. PROTHEROThat is not quite accurate.
§ Mr. BOOTHI understood the right hon. Gentleman to suggest that £10,000 would be quite ample for England. If £10,000 is more than enough for England it means that Scotland and Ireland are responsible for the increase of this limit, which I think was moved by myself last night, to £20,000. How can it be justified that England should be so badly treated? It is all very well for poverty-stricken Scotland, as it always proclaims itself to be, to come here airing its grievances. I have no lack of sympathy with Scotland, especially on questions of money, in regard to which she is well able to take care 2418 of herself. Now the grievance is the other way round, and it is poor England that is not to receive her proper share. Is it due to something beyond the control of the Department? I presume it is dependent on the number of veterinary surgeons or the number of animals as to whether this money shall be spent? Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman can tell us, what I did not gather from his speech, that it will simply be spent when it is needed, that it is no concern of his whether it is spent in England or Scotland. If it will be spent simply where it is required, nobody has any particular complaint. I understand that Scotland is entitled to eleven-eightieths of any vote of money. The hon. Member for Central Edinburgh(Mr. Price), last night, tried to impress upon the Committee that they were entitled to £2,750, but according to this Resolution they are to have about £5,000. I suppose that Ireland will have £5,000 and Scotland £5,000, leaving £10,000 for England. That is another injustice to this country, but I suppose we shall have to bear it. If this money is going to benefit the country by way of new expenditure, I claim the right of England to get its proper proportion.
§ Mr. PROTHEROThe explanation is that certain expenses have to be incurred for every stallion that is licensed, and the total expenditure, which, we think, we can put at an outside estimate, in the three countries, is £20,000. The amount which will be spent in each of the three countries really depends upon the number of stallions which are licensed in each of the three countries. It is not a division of £10,000 for England and £5,000 each to Scotland and Ireland; it is a division of £20,000 between the stallions in the three countries. That is the explanation.