§ 60. Viscount WOLMERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total contributions of England, Scotland and 2023 Wales will be in a normal financial year to the liabilities set forth in the Third Schedule to the Government of Ireland Bill to which Ireland is to contribute £18,000,000?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINIn the Estimate for a normal year given last October (Command 376) Imperial services to a total of £617,500,000 were shown separately. This total is not exhaustive, as certain Imperial Services were not given separately.
On this basis the total contributions of England, Scotland and Wales would be approximately £600,000,000. But I must warn my Noble Friend that the very tentative sketch of the figures of a normal year was prepared for a quite different purpose and was subject to the conditions and limitations which were stated in the White Paper, and their use for other calculations may easily be misleading.
§ Viscount WOLMERDoes that not mean that under the Home Rule Bill the taxpayers of Great Britain will be contributing about three or four times as much per head towards the Imperial liabilities as the taxpayers of Ireland?
§ Viscount WOLMERMay I suggest that the Government do the sum before the Bill is introduced?