§ Major POLEasked the Secretary of State for India whether he can give information in respect of the progress that has been made in the provinces of the audit and the accounts functions of the Government?
§ Mr. BENNMy hon. and gallant Friend's inquiry presumably relates to the scheme under which the Auditor-General in India, while remaining responsible for the audit of certain accounts, ceases to be charged with their compilation. Although the scheme has been introduced into several accounting offices under the Central Government, the only provincial Government, so far as I am aware, which has been made responsible for the maintenance of its accounts is that of the United Provinces, where an experimental separation of audit and accounting functions was introduced with effect from April, 1926. According to a report received from the Government of India, the results of the experiment have been, on the whole, satisfactory. Further progress in this direction must now await the decisions to be taken on the recommendations of the Statutory Commission in regard to future relations between Central and provincial Governments.