§ 30. Major HAMILTONasked the Prime Minister whether he can state the total expenditure of the Governments of the British Empire, including the Indian Empire, on the Great War and the total amount of loans made by the United Kingdom to our Dominions and Allies, including any loans from America which were guaranteed by the United Kingdom?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Lieut.-Commander Hilton Young)I am not at present in a position to give reliable figures of the total expenditure of the Governments mentioned in the first part of the question, but I am having careful examination made of the possibility of compiling a Return on this subject. The total Exchequer issues in the case of the United Kingdom from 3rd August, 1914, to 31st March, 1920, were £11,196,927,000. The total amount of cash advances from Votes to Dominions and Allies to 31st March, 1921 (including those for relief), was approximately £1,810,000,000, and the debts due from Dominions and Allies and outstanding on that date total £1,947,600,000. With the exception of the Anglo-French Loan of $500,000,000 paid off last October and guaranteed jointly and severally by the Governments of the United Kingdom and of France, no loans from America were guaranteed by this country. In this connection, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme on the 11th instant, and of which I am sending him a copy.