§ 6.5 p.m.
§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir John Simon)I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to authorise issues and transfers from the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom without the grant of credits by the Comptroller and Auditor-General, and to suspend the necessity for the counter-signature by or on. behalf of the Comptroller and Auditor-General to warrants authorising the issue of Treasury Bills.I think that on this Motion for leave to bring in the Bill the House may be glad to have a short explanation of it, and I shall be prepared to leave it at that to-day and to take the Second Reading to-morrow. The matter is a technical one, but it touches upon a subject which is of very great general importance, the duties of the Comptroller and Auditor-General. I do not think that even in war time the House of Commons ought to —