§ Mr. LOUGHasked the Secretary to the Treasury what are the Irish services which it is anticipated will exhibit increases or decreases in cost during the present financial year sufficient on balance to raise Irish expenditure from £11,533,500 to £12,354,000, as stated in the White Paper, Outline of Financial Proposals, circulated with the Government of Ireland Bill, giving the name of each service which shows any change and the amount of the difference in cost from that given in Return 190 of this year?
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§ Mr. MASTERMANThe figure for 1911–12 is based on the Exchequer Issues in that year, the figure for 1912–13 on the Estimates presented to Parliament, which were necessarily prepared some time before the close of the financial year 1911–12, and before the final issues in respect of the expenditure of that year had been made. I do not consider therefore that any useful purpose would be served by a minute comparison between all the separate items included in each total. With this reservation I will state under what heads of expenditure the principal increases are shown:—
£ National Insurance (including Labour Exchanges) 178,500 Post Office 135,000 Land Commission Vote 134,000 Universities and Colleges 105,000 Public Education 87,500 Old Age Pensions 87,000 Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue 29,000