§ 57. Mr. HARMSWORTHasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will give the names of all as yet unrepealed Acts of Parliament passed since the 1st January, 1916, which imposed charges upon State funds directly or indirectly; and whether he can estimate the total financial burden placed upon the taxpayers by such direct and indirect charges imposed by those statutes?
§ Mr. McNEILLI am afraid it would be impossible in reply to my hon. Friend's question to give any accurate idea of the extent to which legislation in the last 10 years, including the greater part of the War period, has added to the burden of the taxpayer. It would require laborious investigation even to state the amounts paid out of the Exchequer in respect., for example, of grants or subsidies specifically authorised by Act of Parliament, and such a statement would not include the consequential expenditure on the administration of such legislation, of which no estimate could be given; nor would it take account of the cost of administering Acts of Parliament not primarily financial in character. My hon. Friend will, however, find valuable information on the subject in Command Paper 2613.