§ Earl Grosvenor moved for an account of pensions, sinecures, and reversions granted during the last year. The motion, he observed, was precisely the same as that which he had made last session, with the exception of the necessary difference of the dates. This motion being agreed to, the noble earl proceeded to advert to certain offices, the abolition of which had been recommended by the report of the finance committee. According to public rumour, a new appointment to the office of King's Remembrancer of the Exchequer had been made, in direct violation of the principle laid down in the report of the committee, which recommended, that that and other offices executed by deputy should be abolished when the present interest vested in them should cease. The noble earl also referred to the offices of Clerk of the Pells and of the lord justice general of Scotland, and wished to know whether any regulations had been adopted with respect to them. As to the office of Clerk of Parliament, he recollected that the noble lord opposite had last year recommended the appointment of a committee, which would have to inquire into the duties of that office, parts of which, he understood, it would be proper to preserve; but he thought that no time ought to be lost in regulating it, and every other office of the same description.
The Earl of Liverpoolsaid, that the whole of the circumstances to which the noble earl had alluded, as exhibiting a violation of the principle established in the finance report, were unfounded. Some of the offices referred to were to be regulated under the authority of parliament. One of these offices, that of Clerk of the Pells, had very important duties, which had hitherto been discharged by deputy. With regard to the office of King's Remembrancer of the Exchequer, the regulation of which was undertaken by the 152 Treasury, its duties had also hitherto been wholly executed by deputy; but it was the intention of government that this course should no longer be observed, but that it should be executed altogether by the principal. The measures recommended by the committee being now undergoing a revision in order to their being carried into effect, a gentleman of the Treasury had, in the mean time, been appointed to the office of King's Remembrancer. But this was a temporary appointment, which had solely for its object the execution of certain duties which, by law, must be performed until the office be finally regulated. With regard to the office of Justice-general of Scotland, that was also one in which regulation was to be applied as speedily as possible. The regulation of the office of Clerk of Parliament lay chiefly with their lordships' House, and he had no objection to the subject being taken into consideration in the present session.
The Marquis of Lansdowmobserved, that it had been recommended, that bills should be introduced for regulating the offices referred to in the report of the finance committee, and he should have expected that they would have been brought in for that purpose as soon as possible, in order that the regulations might be made by act of parliament. As yet, however no such bills had come before the House. The Earl of Liverpool reminded the I noble marquis, that by the act of Parliament already passed, it was competent for the Treasury to make, in the offices pointed out, such regulations as appeared to be I called for. This was to be done on the responsibility of the Treasury. What regulations ought to be made in the office of Remembrancer of the Exchequer, or any other office, could not be explained, until the alterations which might be necessary should be ascertained. In the mean time, it was certain, that no appointments were made to offices of this description, except such as were perfectly temporary, and indispensable for the execution of particular duties.