§ 8. Mr. ROBERT MORRISONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that, with regard to the banking accounts of the miners' welfare committees, inquiries were addressed only to certain large banks in this country; and if he will take steps to secure, in regard to any further inquiries to banks concerning the keeping of Government banking accounts, that the inquiry should be addressed to the whole of the bankers of this country and not merely to members of the banking trust?
§ The SECRETARY, MINES DEPARTMENT (Lieut.-Colonel Lane-Fox)I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a similar question asked by the hon. Member for Hillsborough (Mr. A. V. Alexander) on 29th November.
§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERDid I not give the President of the Board of Trade notice that I wished him to answer the question, as he is the Cabinet Minister in charge of this Department?
§ Sir P. LLOYD-GREAMEThe Secretary for Mines deals with all detailed mining questions, and it has been the practice in this House—and a very convenient one, I think—for him to answer these questions.
§ Mr. ALEXANDERMy point is to secure that in future the President of the Board of Trade shall sec that all banking interests are consulted, and not merely sections.
§ Sir P. LLOYD-GREAMEThis question relates to a purely detailed question where a particular banking account inside the Mines Department is kept, and I think the proper person to deal with that is the Secretary in charge of that particular Department.