§ 24. Mr. HENDERSON STEWARTasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he proposes to arrange for the setting up of a Select Committee to consider the Acts to be continued in the next Expiring Laws Continuance Bill?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAI have carefully considered whether any useful purpose would be served by an inquiry by a Select Committee this year. When a committee was first appointed for this purpose in 1922 the number of Acts scheduled to the Bill was 46. The number of Acts continued by last year's Expiring Laws Continuance Act had fallen to 13, and I find that with one exception, an Act of 1930, they had all been under review by the Select Committee of 1931. As far as I can see at present the number to be included in this year's Bill will again be only 13 and with the exception of two—both passed as recently as 1930—all of them came under review in 1931. In these circumstances I do not think that any further inquiry is called for at the present time.