Oral Answers to Questions — Ireland. – in the House of Commons at on 9 December 1920.
Major Collingwood Hamilton
, Altrincham
asked the Chancellor of the exchequer whether he is now in a position to say whether the Death Duties (Killed in War) Act, 1914, and the Finance Act, 1918, apply to officers and men of His Majesty's forces killed in connection with the present disturbances in Ireland; and whether he will introduce a one-Clause Bill to extend the same privileges to all servants of the Crown killed in these disturbances?
Mr Stanley Baldwin
, Bewdley
The benefits of the Death Duties (Killed in War) Act apply to all ranks of the military forces serving in Ireland as long as the Act itself remains in force. They do not apply to civilian servants of the Crown in Ireland including the Royal Irish Constabulary. But the Chief Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the exchequer are agreed that they should be so extended under present circumstances. My right hon. Friend gathers that this is also the view of the whole House and he will, therefore, act upon it in anticipation of legislative sanction which in the present state of Public Business he fears it would be impossible, to get before we adjourn.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
Public Business is the main business of the day that follows questions, urgent questions and statements.
