Catalogue description Treasury: Naval Expenditure Emergency Standing Committee: Minutes

At the beginning of the First World War the need for speedy decisions on expenditure led the Treasury to devise new ways of exercising its control over departments. In order to avoid delay while ensuring that proposals were given proper examination, a Naval Expenditure Emergency Standing Committee was set up in August 1914 with representatives of the Admiralty and Treasury. The committee considered urgent proposals brought before it by the Admiralty, of sufficient importance to need Treasury sanction, but not involving major questions of policy, and made recommendations to the Treasury.

In March 1917 a Shipping Expenditure Emergency Standing Committee was set up to consider proposed expenditure by the Ministry of Shipping.