§ Mr. LAMBERTasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial commitments have been undertaken by the Treasury not provided for by the Finance Act, 1934?
939W
Mr. CHAMBERLAINApart from those specifically provided for in the Budget statement, the following commitments, in certain cases definite and in others contingent, have arisen and will require the passing of legislation or of Supplementary Votes:
Vote or Service and New Commitment.
Dominion Services.*
Bechuanaland.—It is proposed to increase the grant-in-aid of the Protectorate from £65,000 to £98,000 on account of a further outbreak of foot-and-mouth diseaseOversea Settlement.*
Victoria Land Settlement Scheme.—It is proposed to provide sums amounting to £20,000 for assistance to setlers.British Museum.*
Codex Sinaiticus.—The amount of Government contribution towards the purchase price of the Codex is £41,440.Department of Overseas Trade.
It is proposed that the United Kingdom should participate in the Universal international Exhibition, Brussels, 1935, at a total estimated cost of £75,000, of which approximately £40,000 would be spent in the latter part of the current financial year.Milk (England and Wales and Northern Ireland).*
Milk (Scotland).*
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.*
Expenditure under the Milk Bill will amount during the current year to £1,882,000, as shown in the Supplementary Estimates just presented to Parliament (House of Commons Paper No. 104).Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.*
Fishery Board for Scotland,*
Assistance to the Herring Fishing industry.—Subject to certain conditions being fulfilled it is proposed to grant to this industry, during the current fishing season, assistance of which the total cost is estimated at £54,000.Cattle Industry.
Authority is being sought to make temporary advances not exceeding £3,000,000 in all from the Consolidated Fund (which will at a later stage be repaid out of voted monies) to a Cattle Fund, out of which payments will be made to producers of certain classes of fat cattle sold for slaughter in the United Kingdom between a date not earlier than 1st September, 1934, and 31st March, 1935.Mercantile Marine.
As stated by the President of the Board of Trade in the House on the 3rd July, 1934, it is proposed that, subject to the satisfaction of certain prior conditions, a defensive subsidy, to cost not more than £2,000,000 should 940W be granted for one year only to vessels carrying tramp cargoes under tramp conditions.Army Votes.
Kenya Land Commission Report.—As stated in paragraph 28 of the Summary of Conclusions reached by His Majesty's Government on this Report (Cmd. 4580) it is proposed to ask Parliament to make an ex-gratia grant of £50,000 to the Government of Kenya to be devoted to carrying out the recommendation of the Commission.General.
Civil Service Pay and Pensions.—It was announced in the House on the 2nd July, 1934, that His Majesty's Government had decided (1) to consolidate Civil Service Pay as from 1st July, 1934, on the terms proposed by the Royal Commission on the Civil Service or with reference to a cost of living figure of 55, whichever was the more favourable, but subject to an appropriate abatement so long as one half of the emergency reductions continued in force; and (2) that pensions and additional allowances awarded on or after 1st July, 1934, should be calculated on the full consolidated rates of salary. The estimated charge during 1934 is £1,036,000, for the hulk of which provision was made in the Budget.Note.—For the items marked * Supplementary Estimates have been, or will be, presented to Parliament this month.