MR. WHITEasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether it be the intention of the Government to introduce this Session a Bill in accordance with the last recommendation of the Second Report of the Civil Services Expenditure Com- 1856 mittee, enacting that no vacancy in a salaried office in any of the establishments therein referred to, be permanently filled up without the previous consent, in writing, of the First Lord of the Treasury for the time being; and that every person so appointed shall take his office, subject to such alteration as to its salary or pension (whether on superannuation or abolition) as may be determined by Parliament, and laying down a Rule as to rate of compensation on the abolition hereafter of offices in judicial establishments?
MR. GLADSTONEin reply, said, that the Report of the Committee made certain recommendations as to the measures to be adopted until the establishments in question had been revised. This matter would be carefully considered by the Government, who sympathized entirely with the Committee as to the purposes they had in view; but, on looking closely at the subject, he had found there would be very considerable difficulty in framing a Bill with an expectation of passing it with general satisfaction at that late period of the year. He did not say the Government would not take that course; but they had deemed it right to consider whether the objects in view could not be attained by an arrangement between the Lord Chancellor and the Judges in whose hands the matter was placed. His noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor was at present, therefore, in communication with those Judges on the subject, and he hoped to be able in a short time to state whether they had succeeded in effecting an arrangement.