HC Deb 12 November 1912 vol 43 cc1825-6W
Mr. MITCHELL- THOMSON

asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that the Transferred Sum under the Government of Ireland Bill, which is estimated to amount to £6,127,000, is subject to deductions before payment to the Irish Exchequer in respect of the following matters, Under Clause 18, all charges under the Land Purchase Acts which now fall on the Guarantee Fund; under Clause 20, all existing unpaid charges on the Irish Temporalities Fund guaranteed by the Treasury; under Clause 31, £5,000 towards the salary of the Lord Lieutenant; under Clause 32, the salaries and pensions of all existing Supreme Court and County Court Judges and established Civil servants charged on the Consolidated Fund; under Clause 33, the superannuation and other allowances of existing unestablished Civil servants; under Clauses 35 and 37 (4), the pensions of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Royal Irish Constabulary serving at the date of transfer which thereafter become payable; as well as the charge for management, interest, Sinking Fund, and administration of any Irish loan issued in accordance with the provisions of Clause 23, he can state what is the estimated amount of each of such prior charges, other than the charge in respect of loans, in the year following the appointed day; and what is the estimated amount of the balance remaining in such year to be transferred to the Irish Exchequer?

The PRIME MINISTER

It is not anticipated that any deduction will be required under Clause 20. The amount of salaries and pensions charged on the Consolidated Fund in respect of which deductions would be made from the Transferred Sum under Clauses 31, 32, and 35 are estimated at £111,500. The deductions from the Transferred Sum under Clauses 33 (4), 35, and 37 (4), so far as they do not relate to charges which at present fall on the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom, are estimated at the following sums:—

Dublin Metropolitan Police £34,000
Civil Servants £135,000
No deduction will be necessary in the year following the appointed day in respect of the pensions of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The total deductions from the Transferred sum under Clauses 20, 31, 32 (1), 33, 35 and 37 in the year following the appointed day are estimated at £280,500. I am unable to give the estimate asked for in the last part of the question as it is not possible to estimate the deduction from the Transferred Sum under Clause 18. I may add, however, that the deductions that would have been made in respect of the financial years 1910–11 and 1911–12, had the Clause been then in operation, are £1,945 17s. 2d. and £4,707 3s., respectively.