§ Captain Pooleasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1) on whose authority is Mr. Humphreys-Davies making intimate inquiries into the private and domestic lives of officers serving in America and Canada; and what are the grounds that justify such inquisition;
(2) what are the terms of reference of Mr. Humphreys-Davies, at present in Washington; how long has he been there; how long is it intended he should stay; and what allowances or expenses does he receive, additional to his salary?
§ Captain CrookshankMr. Humphreys-Davies, who enjoys the full confidence of my right hon. Friend and myself, is a Treasury officer who was added to the Treasury Mission in Washington to deal on the spot with general establishment questions arising in connection with the staffs of the various British Missions in America and in Canada. Mr. Hum phreys-Davies has authority to give decisions on behalf of the Treasury on many matters which would otherwise 717W have to be referred to London. I do not know on what particular circumstances my hon. and gallant Friend is basing his first Question, which I am bound to regard as an unfortunate method of raising any point of difficulty that may have arisen. It is, however, entirely normal that, for example, the investigation of claims for allowances should give rise to inquiries regarding the details of expenses actually incurred and I am not prepared to accept any implication that Mr. Humphreys-Davies is undertaking an inquisition into the private and domestic lives of those concerned. He arrived in Washington on 12th March and it is intended that he should stay there indefinitely. He receives the normal Mission allowance appropriate to officers of his rank, i.e., 8 dollars a day.