§ 18. Mr. G. Williamsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in order to speed up the accounts of the Land Commission and others, he will augment the staff of the Exchequer and Audit Department.
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter)No, Sir. I do not think that the increase of staff suggested would be justifiable.
§ Mr. WilliamsIs my hon. Friend aware that the accounts of the Land Commission for 1952 were not audited till nine months later? Are not fresh accounts very much better than stale accounts? Is he not aware of the queuing up for auditing that takes place, and if the reason for the delay is shortage of staff, will he do something about it?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI appreciate that the earlier these or any accounts can be rendered the more use they are. It so happens that they are submitted at what is the busy season of the year for this Department, namely, the autumn, and it would not be economical to appoint staff to deal with what is a seasonal rush.