A

B I L L

(AS AMENDED BY THE COMMITTEE]

To provide for the Preparation, Audit and Presentation to

Parliament of Annual Accounts of the Receipt and
Expenditure of the Naval and Military Departments.

(N. B.—The Clauses marked (A.) and (B.) were added by the

Committee.]

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& 31.

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HEREAS by an Act passed in the second year of the Preamble :

reign of his late Majesty King William the Fourth, 2 Will. 4, intituled, “ An Act to amend the Laws relating to the Business of the . 40, ss. 30 Civil Departments of the Navy, and to make other Regulations for more effectually carrying on the Duties of the said Departments,” provision was made for the making up and the laying before Parliament of an Annual Account of Naval Receipt and Expenditure, examined and certified by the Commissioners for auditing the Public Accounts:

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And whereas it is expedient to amend the provisions of the said Act, and to provide for the preparation, audit and presentation to Parliament of Accounts of the Appropriation of the Monies annually granted for the Naval and Military Services;

1.

BE it therefore Enacted, by The QUEEN's most Excellent 15 Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual

and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, THAT so much of the said recited Repeal of the Act as relates to the Account of Naval Receipt and Expenditure shall 30th and 21st be repealed : Provided always, That nothing in this Act contained Act 2 Will. 4, shall be construed to affect the preparation and the laying before Parliament of the said Account for the year ended the Thirty-first day

of March One thousand eight hundred and Forty-six, in accordance with the provisions of the before-recited Act.

2. Accounts of And be it Enacted, That on or before the Thirtieth day of NoReceipt and Expenditure

vember in each year an Account of the Receipt and Expenditure of for Navy,

the sums granted for Naval Services for the year ended on the ThirtyArmy, Com

5 missariat and first day of March preceding, and on or before the Thirtieth day of Ordnance Services, to April in each year, similar Accounts of the Receipt and Expenditure be annually transmitted

of the suis granted for Army, Commissariat and Ordnance Services to the Trea

for the year ended on the Thirty-first day of March of the preceding sury.

year, classed under the several heads of Service, as expressed in the 10
Appropriation Act or Acts for the year, shall be transmitted by each
department charged with the preparation of the said Accounts, to
the Commissioners for auditing the Public Accounts, who shall
examine the said Accounts, and certify thereon as to the correctness
of the sums therein charged, as compared with the books and vouchers 15
of the several departments; and the said Commissioners are hereby
required to transmit copies of the said Accounts, so examined
and certified, to the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury:
Provided always, That if the Commissioners for auditing the
Public Accounts shall discover any inaccuracies in the said Accounts 20
of Receipt and Expenditure, they shall, if required so to do by
the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, return the said
Accounts, accompanied by statements of the errors discovered
therein, to the respective departments concerned for correction, and
amended Accounts shall be prepared and sent to the Commissioners 25
of Audit by the said departments in lieu of the Accounts returned for
correction, and the said Commissioners shall transmit copies of such
amended Accounts, examined and certified as aforesaid, to the Com-
missioners of Her Majesty's Treasury.

access to

3. No Imprests

And be it Enacted, That no sum shall be charged in the said Ac- 30 to be charged in the said

counts which may be of the nature of an imprest or advance of the Accounts.

expenditure or application of which an Account is to be subsequently

rendered. 4. Commis- And be it Enacted, That the Commissioners for auditing the Public sioners of Audit to have Accounts shall be allowed access to all books, orders and other papers 35 books, orders to which they may desire to make reference in the progress of their

examination of the account-books and vouchers of the several departments intrusted with the detailed application of the sums granted for

Navy, Army, Commissariat and Ordnance Services. 5. CLAUSE (A.) Objections And be it Enacted, That if, during the progress of the exami- 40 from time to

nation by the Audit Office of the books and vouchers of the said time, and departments, any objections shall arise to any item to be introduced

and papers.

to be made

into the Accounts of Receipt and Expenditure to be transmitted to when not
the Commissioners of Audit as aforesaid, such objections shall, not- answered to

be referred to
withstanding the said Accounts shall not have been so transmitted, the Treasury.

be immediately communicated by the said Commissioners to the
5 departments to which they may relate, and if the same shall not be

answered to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Audit by the
officers in the said departments to whom such objections shall be
addressed, the same shall be referred by the said Commissioners of

Audit to the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, who shall
10 determine in what inanner the item or items objected to shall be pre-

sented to Parliament.

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6.
And be it Enacted, That the Commissioners for auditing the Public Auditors
Accounts shall append to each Account, to be transmitted to the Com- Reports to be
missioners of Her Majesty's Treasury as aforesaid, a Report, in which to the Trea-

sury.
15 they shall recapitulate the several heads of the Account under which

the sums expended shall have exceeded the sums voted, giving under
each bead the explanations with which they may have been furnished
of the causes of excess, and certifying that such excesses have been

sanctioned by the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, according
20 to the provisions of the Annual Appropriation Act; and the said

Commissioners of Audit shall moreover advert in their Report
to any items in respect of which, although admitted under the
provisions of this Act, their objections shall remain unsatisfied.

7.

CLAUSE (B.)
And be it Enacted, That the Accounts of Receipt and Expen- Accounts,
25 diture, together with the Reports of the Commissioners of Audit and Auditors'

Reports
thereon, transmitted to the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury thereon, to
as aforesaid, shall be laid before the House of Commons by the said Parliament

by the TreaCommissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury on the days after men- sury.

tioned, if Parliament be then sitting, or if not, then in each case
30 within One Week after Parliament shall be next assembled; (videlicet)

the Naval Account of Receipt and Expenditure on or before the
Thirty-first day of January next following the Thirtieth day of No-
vember hereinbefore mentioned, and the Army, Commissariat and

Ordnance Accounts of Receipt and Expenditure on or before the
35 First day of June next following the Thirtieth day of April herein-

before mentioned.

be laid before

8.
And be it Enacted, That this Act shall commence and take effect Commence-
as to the Accounts to be rendered of the application of the Grants for ment of the
Naval and Military Services for the year ending on the Thirty-first
day of March One thousand eight hundred and Forty-seven.

To authorize, for a Time to be limited, the Regulation of

the Annuities and Premiums of the Naval Medical
Supplemental Fund Society.

[Note.—The Words printed in Italics are proposed to be inserted

in the Committee.]

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HER É AS under an Order in Council, bearing date the Preamble.

Thirteenth day of August One thousand eight hundred and Seventeen, the Naval Medical Supplemental Fund Society was established for the relief of Widows of Medical Officers in the Royal Navy, and certain Rules and Regulations were thereby made and prescribed for the government, regulation and management of the said Society, and the Funds thereof : And whereas certain Pensions and Annuities have been and are paid and payable by, and Premiums have

been and are paid and payable to, the said Society, and it is expedient 10 that the rate of the said Pensions, Annuities and Premiums now paid

or payable should be continued during the continuance of this Act, unless it be found expedient to reduce or vary the rate thereof, as hereinafter mentioned, in order to prevent any encroachment on the

Funds of the said Society; BE it therefore Enacted, by The QUEEN's 15

most Excellent MAJESTY, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, THAT from Amount of and after the passing of this Act the amount or rate of Pensions and

payable by Annuities now paid and payable by, and the rate of Premiums now and Premiums 20 paid and payable to, the said Society shall, during the continuance of Society.

this Act, continue to be paid and payable by and to the said Society,
unless the Lord High Admiral, or the First Commissioner for

1.

Annuities