§ Considered in Committee.
§ [Sir E. CORNWALL in the Chair.]
§ Motion made, and Question proposed,
§ "That it is expedient to make provision for the payment, in the first instance, out 1438 of moneys provided by Parliament of any expenses incurred by the Minister of Health in arranging for the treatment of tuberculosis under any Act of the present Session, to make further provision with respect to arrangements by local authorities for the treatment of tuberculosis, subject, however, to power being conferred on the Minister to recover any amounts so paid from local authorities failing to make such arrangements."—[Sir A. Mond.]
§ Captain WEDGWOOD BENNI have not the least objection to the expenditure of this sum, or to the Bill for which this Resolution is necessary, but I feel it incumbent upon me to protest against the growing practice of the Government of taking these Money Resolutions as a formal stage at a time when they cannot be subjected to the criticism of the House of Commons. That practice has become almost universal, and, in consequence, the Committee stage is reduced to a mere formality, thereby depriving the House of its proper control over public expenditure.
§ Colonel GRETTONThis procedure is very much in the hands of the Committee itself. If the Committee wishes to make an examination of the Resolution, now is the time to do it. In this particular case, I think there is no serious opposition to the proposed expenditure, but I would like to enter the caveat that we should be well advised to examine these Resolutions more carefully in general than we propose to do on this occasion.
§ Resolution to be reported to-morrow.