HC Deb 31 March 1920 vol 127 cc1281-3W
Sir D. MACLEAN

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can furnish particulars for the months of December, 1919, and January and February, 1920, corresponding to those given last Session for the month of November, showing the amount expended on the main items of naval expenditure, together with the numbers of naval personnel borne, the numbers of the headquarters staff, the numbers of the out-ports office staff, and the number of industrial employees?

Mr. LONG

The following are the particulars of cash expenditure during each of the three months, and of the numbers of personnel:—

him in the course of the, Debate on Navy Estimates on 10th December last, that in any given month payments might be unduly coming in, which would make that month appear to be one in which we had spent a good deal more than we really had, and that the statement for that particular month would really bear no rela- tion whatever to the actual expenditure of the month.

The increase of £6,600,000 is entirely due to the following special causes:—

  1. (1) The fact that the quarterly settlement of Naval Pay and Civil Salaries (including additional bonus awards) and of Pensions, etc., inevitably results in an increased charge during the first month of the quarter, as compared with the previous two months. The difference on this account is approximately £2,850,000.
  2. (2) A payment of £2,650,000 was made during the month on account of railway services relating to the period from 1st April to 30th November, 1919.
  3. (3) Payments amounting to £1,870,000 were made during the month on account of services rendered by the Ministry of Shipping on behalf of the Admiralty during the period from April to August, 1919.
  4. (4) Payments amounting to £1,000,000 were made during the month in reimbursement of charges paid by the Treasury on behalf of the Admiralty abroad during the period from April, 1919, onwards.

Allowing for these abnormal payments, which amount to £8,370,000, the reduction in the rate of normal expenditure indicated by the December figures was maintained.

The figures for February are also inflated to some extent by abnormal payments.