§ Mr. HANNON (by Private Notice)asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any payment has been made to the Exchequer following upon the offer made by Lady Houston in respect of her late husband's estate?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLLady Houston has paid to the Exchequer the sum of £1,500,000 as an act of grace, without admitting any legal liability on her part. I have accepted this sum, which in its amount is unprecedented, which was offered spontaneously and from a public-spirited desire to help the finances of the country in a munificent way.
§ Mr. SNOWDENCan the right hon. Gentleman say what was the amount which would have had to be paid had there been legal liability?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am afraid I must ask the House not to press me on that point at the present time. There are other important beneficiaries of the estate with whom no settlement has been reached, and in connection with these cases it is possible, indeed more than possible, that prolonged litigation will take place. I must therefore ask the House not to invite from me any statement either in the nature of figures or of an attempt to weigh the legal situation until those matters are finally settled, when I will disclose fully the figures resulting from those investigations which will then have taken place.
§ Mr. MACLEANI would like to ask, Mr. Speaker, what there is about this question that is specially urgent or important and necessitates its being put as a private notice question? Is not this an abuse of the Rule dealing with private notice questions?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat was for me to judge. I was satisfied that in this case there were good grounds for allowing the question.
§ Mr. MACLEANBut could not this question have gone down on the Order Paper in the usual way? [HON. MEMBERS: "Order!"] I am asking, with all due deference, what there is in this question of a special or urgent character to necessitate its being put as a private notice question?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am not prepared to say anything more. I considered the matter, and I was satisfied that there were reasons for taking the action I have taken.