§ MR. WHITESIDEsaid, he rose to move for Returns connected with the Common Law Courts in Ireland. His attention had been called to the subject by a Motion made in "another place" by a noble Marquess, who was reported to have stated that nothing had been done for the improvement of the administration of justice in Ireland, and that the law was much cheaper in England—which, unfortunately for England, it was not—than in Ireland. The Returns for which he now proposed to move would show that the administration of the law was cheap and prompt in Ireland. In a number of instances, however, offices which had been consolidated, their occupants having being largely compensated, were revived on the Report of the Judges that there was not a sufficient number of officers to do the work, so that the public first lost efficient officers, who were superannuated, and then had to pay new officers who could not so well do the work. One officer thanked his Liberal friends for having given him £800 a year for reading his newspaper in his office, and thanked his Tory friends for giving it to 1544 enable him to read his newspaper at home. There was a great want of economy in the administration of the law in Ireland. It had cost the country something like £500,000 for compensations to cover a difference in the annual charge of offices of £364. The right hon. and learned Gentleman concluded by moving for the Returns.
§ MR CARDWELLsaid, he had not the least objection to the production of these Returns, and he entirely agreed with his right hon. Friend that the House ought to be extremely careful how it entered into the costly process of legal reforms. His own experience since he had sat in Parliament of the compensation incident to such reforms was quite sufficient to make him cautious. It had been communicated to the Government that, from the decrease of business in the Irish law courts, some reduction in the number of their officers might reasonably be expected to be made; but, in conjunction with the Secretary to the Treasury, he had adopted a course which could by no possibility lead to expense. The Treasury had the power by statute to determine, on any vacancy occurring in those courts, whether it should be filled up, and that power it was intended to exercise. He hoped that reasonable retrenchment might thus be effected, and an expenditure as wasteful as it was little creditable avoided in this case.
§ MR. BUTTsaid, that the process of law reform in Ireland had been accompanied by an extravagant waste of public money. If there had been the same judicial statistics furnished in Ireland as in England much mischief would have been avoided.
§ Motion agreed to.
§
Returns ordered,
Of amount paid for Salaries and Allowances to the Officers and Clerks in the three Courts of Common Law in Ireland in the years 1822, 1826, and 1843 respectively:
Of amount of Annual Compensations granted to Officers and Clerks of said Courts for loss of Office or Emoluments in pursuance of the Act 1 and 2 Geo. 4, c. 53:
Of amount paid for Salaries and Emoluments to Officers and Clerks in said Courts in the years 1845, 1851, and 1860 respectively:
Of amount of Annual Compensation granted to Officers and Clerks of the said Courts for loss of Office or Emoluments in pursuance of the Act 7 and 8 Vict. c. 107:
Of amount of Annual Compensation still payable to said Officers and Clerks in pursuance of said Acts 1 and 2 Geo. 4, c. 53, and 7 and 8 Vict. c. 107:
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Of the number of Plaints issued and of Declarations filed in each of the said Courts in the year 1851, and of Summonses and Plaints in the year 1860:
Of the number of Sidebar Rules entered in each of said Courts in the years 1851 and 1860 respectively:
Of the number of Posteas lodged in each of said Courts in the years 1851 and 1860 respectively:
Of the number of References made to each of the Masters of said Courts in the years 1855, 1856, and 1860 respectively:
And, of the particular items of the Incidental Expenses allowed in respect of each of the said Courts in the years 1822, 1826, 1845, 1851, and 1860 respectively.