MR. A. L. BROWN (Hawick, &c.)asked the Lord Advocate, Whether the Sheriff Clerk of Berwickshire holds the following public appointments: County Road Clerk of Berwickshire; Clerk to the Commissioners of Income Tax, Berwickshire; Procurator Fiscal to Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for district of Lauder, in said shire; Secretary and Treasurer to Duns Gas Light Company; Clerk to the Visiting Committee of Greenlaw Prison; Auditor to the Tweed Commissioners; whether it is the case that, when the said Sheriff Clerk was appointed, he came under an obligation to resign all or any of his other offices if required to do so; whether the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the condition of the Crofters, presented to Parliament in 1884, recommends that sheriff clerks should be prohibited from doing any professional work, or any business for profit, other than the proper business of their office; 1254 whether the Lord Advocate, in a Debate in this House on 21st April 1884, assented to this opinion; and, whether the present Lord Advocate purposes calling upon the Sheriff Clerk of Berwickshire to resign all or any of the offices mentioned?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities)I have not been able to obtain full information to answer this Question, but, at the request of the hon. Member, I will answer it as far as I can do so to-day. I am not aware of the exact facts as they at present stand, not yet having received an answer to my communication. I understand that the Sheriff Clerk of Berwickshire does hold several appointments of public offices in the county in addition to the office of Sheriff Clerk. Mr. Crawford, who is the Sheriff-Clerk, did come under an obligation to give up any public appointment it might be thought advisable he should not hold. As regards the question referring to professional work, if I am rightly informed, Mr. Crawford does not perform any professional work at all except in so far as holding these appointments may be held to involve professional work. I may state as regards the counties, not having a large amount of public business for the Sheriff Clerk, the amount of salary for that office would not, in my opinion, enable the Crown to obtain a suitable person for the office, unless he were allowed to hold appointments not incompatible with the duty of Sheriff Clerk. But I may say the appointment was made just before the Conservative Government left Office in January, and I do not find in the records of my office that anything has been done since then; but I will look into the matter during the Recess.