HL Deb 12 March 1985 vol 461 cc165-6WA
Lord Simon of Glaisdale

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When it became the invariable practice to insert in Acts of Parliament the formula "with the consent of the Treasury", or words to like effect, when giving a power to, or imposing a duty upon, a Minister of the Crown which might require public expenditure.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Arts (The Earl of Gowrie)

The formula has appeared in Acts of Parliament since the first half of the last century, but it is not possible to fix a point in time by which the practice of inserting these words could be said to have become invariable. Certainly, the formula has appeared more frequently during the past 40 years. Since 1945, Parliament has bestowed to an increasing extent on departmental Ministers the power to make grants and loans, to settle the terms of appointments and to take decisions which may at one time have been regarded as reserved to the Treasury. However, the Treasury still has particular responsibilities, especially for public expenditure, and the formula reflects this.