Once a year the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in committee of ways and means, makes his annual budget statement, reviewing the revenue and expenditure of the past financial year, esti mating the revenue and expenditure for the next financial year, and proposing such increases or remissions of taxation as are in his opinion required for, or justified by, the position. These proposals are embodied in resolutions which, when passed by the committee of ways and means, and agreed to by the House. are confirmed by an Act of Parliament, called the Finance Act of the year. Here again the House and its committee can dissent from, or reduce, a proposed tax, but cannot impose or increase a tax.
Under the Cabinet system the executive gov ernment is dependent on the support of Par liament, and, in particular, of the House of Commons. The king appoints a Prime Minister who can command a majority in that House. The Prime Minister selects the members of his Cabinet, and the holders of minor political of fices, from among those of his followers who have, or are likely to have, seats in one of the two Houses. The Ministry as a whole, and each Minister separately, is responsible•to Par liament, and particularly to the House that sup plies the money without which government can not be carried on. If a Ministry cannot retain the confidence of that House the Prime Minis ter must either resign or appeal to the country by a dissolution of Parliament.
The control of the House of Commons over the executive government can be exercised, not only by withholding assent to the legisla tive and financial proposals of the government, but in various other ways. Thus it can obtain information as to the proceedings of the gov ernment by means of questions and of orders for the production of documents.
Any member has the right to address a question to any Minister of the Crown, being also a member of the House, about the public affairs with which he is officially connected, or a matter of administration for which he is re sponsible. The proper object of such a ques tion is to obtain information on a matter of fact within the special cognizance of the Min ister, and the rules and practice of the House limit the Tight to ask questions so as to con fine them to this object. Except in special cases, notice of any such question must appear on the notice paper at least one day before the answer is to be given. If a member wishes his question to be answered orally, he marks it with an asterisk, and a time is set apart at the beginning of each afternoon sitting for the answering of such questions. Debate is not
allowed during this period, but an unsatisfac tory answer may, if the matter is of sufficient urgency and importance, give rise to a motion for adjournment, so as to provide opportunity for discussion at a later period of the day.
The House can, on the motion of any mem ber, obtain returns supplying such information on matters of public importance as is obtain able through departments of the government. A motion for a return may be opposed on grounds of public policy, such as that the dis closure of the information sought is not for the public interest, or that its supply would in volve unreasonable labor and expense, but much information thus sought is periodically supplied in the form of °unopposed returns.° The gov ernment can also, and frequently does, on its own initiative, lay papers before the House. Such papers are known as °Command Papers.* These returns and papers, together with the re turns presented in pursuance of directions con tained in Acts of Parliament, and the Reports of Parliamentary Committees and of Royal Commissions, make up the formidable mass of official literature popularly known as °Blue Books.° But the principal opportunity for criticising the administrative action of the government is afforded by the discussions in committee of supply, for which, as has been stated above, a minimum number of days must be set aside in each session. On the old principle that redress of grievances should precede the grant of supply, the action of each Minister and of the departments and officers over whom he has control, can be discussed on the vote for the branch of expenditure concerned. As has been seen, the House can reduce but cannot increase expenditure proposed by the Crown, and there fore any complaint made in committee of sup ply must be based on a motion for reduction of a vote, even, paradoxical as it may seem, though it be a complaint of insufficient expenditure. Other opportunities for criticising the action of the government and raising questions of public policy are supplied by the debate, at the begin ning of each session, on the address in reply to the speech from the throne, by debate on mo tions which must be made when the House first goes into committee of supply on the navy, army and civil service estimates respectively, by the evening sittings appropriated to the discus sion of private members' motions, by the second and third reading stages of the Consolidated Fund Bills and the Appropriation Bill, and by the motions which have to be made for the ad journment of the House over a recess.