HC Deb 31 January 1961 vol 633 cc929-30

Resolution reported,

That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to reorganise the financial arrangements of the Post Office, it is expedient to authorize —

  1. (1) the issue out of the Consolidated Fund of—
    1. (a) any sums required by the Treasury for fulfilling any guarantee given by them in respect of the repayment of the principal of, or the payment of interest on any loans raised by the Postmaster General from the Bank of England;
    2. (b) any sums required by the Treasury for the purpose of their making advances to the Postmaster General in order to provide him with money for meeting expenditure incurred by him which is properly chargeable to capital account or with working capital;
    3. (c) any sums required by the Treasury for paying off any amount shown, in the last Post Office commercial accounts, as representing a liability to the Post Office of the Exchequer on current account or for making payments by way of interest on so much of that amount as remains for the time being outstanding:
    4. (d) such sums as are required to pay the terminable annuities which, in consequence of the passing of the Post Office money enactments, are outstanding at the commencement of the said Act of the present Session in favour of the National Debt Commissioners;
    5. (e) any sums required by the Treasury to pay the Postmaster General for the performance of the functions conferred on him under the National Debt Act, 1958;
    6. (f) any sums paid into the Exchequer by way of repayment of, or payment of interest on, sums issued under the authority of sub-paragraph (b) above or by way of the payment off of any amount shown in the last Post Office commercial accounts as representing a liability of the Post Office to the Exchequer on capital account or the making of payments by way of interest on so much of that amount as remains for the time being outstanding;
  2. (2) the application of any sums issued under the authority of sub-paragraph (f) of paragraph (1) above—
    1. (a) in so far as they represent principal, in redemption or repayment of debt;
    2. (b) in so far as they represent interest, towards meeting such part of the annual charges for the National Debt as represents interest;
    930
  3. (3) the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament of any sums required—
    1. (a) by the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, for the making by him of payments for work done by the Postmaster General in the execution of the Family Allowances Acts, 1945 to 1959, the National Insurance Acts, 1946 to 1959, the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Acts, 1946 to 1959, the Workmen's Compensation (Supplementation) Act, 1951, the Industrial Diseases (Benefit) Acts, 1951 and 1954, and the Workmen's Compensation and Benefit (Supplementation) Act, 1956;
    2. (b) by the National Assistance Board, for the making by them of payments for work done by the Postmaster General in the execution of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936, and Part II of the National Assistance Act, 1948;
    3. (c) by the Minister of Transport, for the making by him of payments to the Postmaster General for work done in the execution of the Vehicles (Excise) Act. 1949;
    4. (d) by the Minister of Housing and Local Government, for the making by him of payments to the Postmaster General for work done in connection with the issue, in England and Wales, of licences under the Dog Licences Act, 1959, and of licences to deal in game, for killing game and for guns;
and that for the purposes of this Resolution "the last Post Office commercial accounts" and "the Post Office money enactments" shall be taken to mean respectively the accounts which, in pursuance of section five of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act, 1921, are prepared in relation to the Post Office in respect of the twelve months ending with the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and sixty-one, and the Acts passed during the years nineteen hundred and thirty-five to nineteen hundred and fifty-nine inclusive the short title of each of which consists of the words "The Post Office and Telegraph (Money) Act" followed by the year in which it was passed and section five of the Commonwealth Telegraphs Act, 1949.

Resolution agreed to.