Public monies
113, and under the Act 1 & 2 Vict., for the settlement of the Civil List, the only payments which can now be legally charged upon the public revenues, are drawbacks, bounties, repayments, and discounts. With the exception of the charges on the Land Revenues of the Crown, the net receipts of which are only payable to the Consolidated Fund under the Act 10 Geo. 94, under which the charges of collecting the revenue and various other expenses were transferred to the Annual Estimates, or placed on the Consolidated Fund. 59) for removing from the gross revenues certain superannuations and other charges which had remained payable out of those revenues after the passing of the Act 17 & 18 Vict., cap. #ĭuring the progress of the inquiries of the Committee of 1856, an Act was passed (19 & 20 Vict., cap. Payments of the gross Revenue to the Exchequer. Your Committee are of opinion that the Paymaster-general should cease to be a political officer, discharging his duties by deputy and that he should become the acting and efficient head of the Pay-office, performing his duties in person.
close of every month that the Paymaster should be required to make up for the Commissioners of Audit accounts to the end of every month, showing the balances for or against every head Of service and that any provision of the Exchequer Regulation Act of 1834 which may appear to be at variance with this mode of conducting the public payments should be repealed. Your Committee are satisfied, from the evidence taken before them, that the consolidation of the Pay Departments has been attended with public benefit that it has diminished the balances left in the hands of the public accountants to the Crown that it has increased the security of the public money, and promoted economy and that the regulation which requires the Paymaster-general to make all his payments from a single cash balance has been attended with beneficial results.Īs the issue of money from the Exchequer in amounts sufficient to maintain a constant balance in the hands of the Paymaster, on each separate grant or head of service, over and above the balances in the Exchequer at the credit of such grants and services, would entirely defeat these objects, Your Committee recommend that issues from the Exchequer shall be made in order to adjust the payments under every head of service, by placing each incredit in the books of the Paymaster as frequently as possible, consistently with retaining the smallest cash balance, and that such an adjustment shall be completely made at least at the. Exchequer Issues and Paymasters’ Payments. YOUR Committee have considered the evidence and documents collected by the Select Committee on Public Monies in 1856, which have been referred to them, as well as further important papers laid before them, which will be found in the Appendix and they have agreed to submit the following recommendations to The House : 1. THE SELECT COMMITTEE appointed to inquire into the Receipt, Issue, and Audit of PUBLIC MONIES in the EXCHEQUER, the PAY OFFICE, and the AUDIT DEPARTMENT, and who were empowered to Report their Observations thereupon to The House HAVE considered the Matters to them referred, and have agreed to the following REPORT: