§ Sir A. S. BENNasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the amount of money employed, and whence derived, for carrying on trading businesses by the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes, the organisation appointed by the Admiralty, Army Council and Air Council to conduct institutes for His Majesty's Forces and to cater for every requirement of officers and men; and the amount of money made or lost by the organisation in 1919, 1920 and 1921?
§ Mr. HINDSasked the Secretary of State for War (1) when the balance sheets and statements of account for the year ending 31st December, 1919, and 31st December, 1920, will be issued in connection with the trading operations of the Navy and Army Canteen Board, now the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes;
(2) The amount which has been borrowed from the. Expeditionary Force canteen profits to finance the Navy and Army Canteen Board, now the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes; and when it is proposed to pay over this money so borrowed to the United Services Fund in accordance with the pledge given to ex-service men?
§ Sir A. BENNasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office the amount of money employed and whence derived for carrying on trading businesses by the Navy, Army, and Air Force institutes, the organisation appointed by the Admiralty, Army Council, and Air Council to conduct institutes for His Majesty's 618W Forces and to cater for every requirement of officers and men; and what is the amount of money made or lost by the organisation in 1919, 1920, and 1921?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSI would refer my hon. Friends to the Report of the Committee presided over by my hon. Friend the Member for Ecclesall (Sir S. Roberts) which was published on 11th July last as Command Paper No. 1280. From that Report it will be seen that the Navy, Army, and Air Force institutes derive their working capital from the assets taken over from the Expeditionary Force Canteens and Navy and Army Canteen Board. Pending the preparation of certain accounts as recommended by the Committee, figures other than the approximate figures given on page 5 of the Committee's Report are not available.
With regard to the last part of questions put by the hon. Member for Plymouth, the Navy, Army, and Air Force institutes only came into existence on 1st January, 1921, and their accounts for that year have not yet been completed. With regard to the other questions, as I have indicated in reply to previous questions, the liquidators are not yet in a position to close the other accounts, but every endeavour is being made to expedite their preparation. The Report of the Committee shows that £3,049,000 in cash and £1,000,000 Funding Loan have already been paid to the United Services Fund. Negotiations are pending for a settlement of the balance due to the United Services Fund.
§ Sir A. BENNasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Navy, Army, and Air Force institutes, which are catering for every requirement of officers and men, have paid Income Tax in the same way as the regular traders with whom they are competing?
Mr. YOUNGThe question of the liability to Income Tax of the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes is not free from difficulty, and is at present under investigation.