§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."
§ Mr. BALDWIN (Joint Financial Secretary to the Treasury)This is a short Bill making a charge upon the Consolidated Fund of the returning officers' expenses. Under Section 29, Sub-section (2), of the Representation of the People Act, 1918, it was provided that the amount of the expenses of returning officers for a Parliamentary election other than a university election should be paid by the Treasury out of moneys provided by Parliament. When the first Estimate was presented before this House under the Local Government Board Estimates in the autumn, it was generally agreed that it would be a much more convenient form if these expenses could be made once and for all a charge upon the Consolidated Fund. The point was raised by two or three Members of the House who had taken great interest in the matter, and it may be of service, perhaps, in the new House if I point out as briefly as I can what was the practical difficulty which we were up against under the Representation of the People Act. It would be necessary to do one of two things: First, to provide for these expenses in the Estimates of the year. If that were done, it would only be once in every three or four years that the money would be expended. There would be the trouble of moving the Estimate, possibly debating it, and then having that in vain. Secondly, it would be possible that the Estimate should only be moved for by the Government when a General Election seemed near. That course is a very clumsy method of procedure. It is impossible to state when a General Electionis near.
Both of these two systems have this very great drawback: They put it in the power of the House of Commons, by refusing the Estimate, to prolong its own life and to do away with the old constitutional practice in this country that the right of dissolving Parliament rests with the Crown on the advice of his Ministers. The suggestion that the expenses should be made a charge on the Consolidated Fund was made from the Front Opposition 1335 Bench in a Debate in the autumn by the right hon. Gentleman who was then speaking on behalf of the Liberal party, Mr. Herbert Samuel. After investigating the various ways in which this matter was treated, we came to the conclusion that this was much the simplest and the best method. The Bill is practically a one-Clause Bill embodying this proposal, and when this Bill is passed the result is that whenever a General Election may come then the funds for the payment of returning officers' expenses are at once available. I think these few words suffice to explain the purport of the Bill and the necessity for it, and I hope that with that explanation the House may see fit to give it a Second Reading.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read a second time, and committed to a Standing Committee.