Former MP for New Forest and Christchurch
Before I deal with the subject of the Debate, may I make a protest against the very inadequate information which the Committee is given in the White Paper and in the Supplementary Estimate? If the Government want to get their proposals put through, it is to their interest to give the House the fullest information as to what they propose, and the House of Commons, being a very reasonable...
I am not responsible for the Yellow Book. A short three months ago the late Minister of Transport asked the House to agree to a proposal that £9,000,000 should be advanced from the Exchequer to the Road Fund for the financial year 1931–32, in order that works for the relief of unemployment should be expedited, because the Road Fund was unable to provide the money. Its resources were...
Of course, I would. I am consistent. You over there are not consistent at all, and your leaders in the late Cabinet, were not consistent. I am very pleased to be able to support my hon. Friend, because the Government have taken the only sane course, to cut down your expenditure when you are in short street. The permission that the right hon. Gentleman obtained was not confined only to the...
The hon. Member for Silvertown (Mr. J. Jones) says, "Hear, hear." That shows how perfectly hopeless it is to expect from hon. Members opposite a clear appreciation of the difficulties of the country at the present moment. In spite of all our troubles and financial difficulties and all the things which have happened, they still applaud the sentiment of spending, and spending lavishly, as the...
The hon. Gentleman ought to read the whole speech. I was alluding to the over-spending of the Road Fund. The whole of the Road Fund has to be spent plus those amounts I mentioned. I was not only mentioning the £1,500,000; it is obvious the roads will cost more than that.
The hon. Member says that there is no intention of altering the construction of the Road Fund. I would like to ask, does this Bill give any power to do so?
On that point of Order. May I put it to you that the Minister read out a rather general and comprehensive statement dealing with these particular points and the Road Fund generally, and that therefore the Committee should be allowed, without going into detail, generally to get information as to what the position is?
May we have your Ruling as to whether this Resolution does in fact deal with the Road Fund as an entity? In reading the Resolution I am in doubt whether it affects the independence of the Road Fund in any sense, or deals only with moneys which are to be advanced to the Road Fund from the National Exchequer.
