§ MR. J. W. BARCLAYasked the Lord Advocate, Whether he will introduce a Bill to extend to the estates (not exceeding £150) of deceased persons who have left a will the same privileges as conferred by the Intestates Act of last Session on the estates, of a similar amount, of deceased persons who have left no will?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE, in reply, said, the Act of last Session to which the Question of the hon. Gentleman referred was passed for the purpose of extending to Scotland the same privileges as were conferred 819 on the children of intestates in England by the provisions of an Act passed in 1873. At the time when the Scotch Act was in contemplation, he considered carefully whether it could be extended to the case of small testate successions; but he found that such extension involved considerable practical difficulties, especially in connection with the recording of the will, and accordingly he did not go beyond the terms of the English Act, except to increase the amount from £100 to £150. He should be very glad, if the practical difficulties to which he had referred could be obviated, to see the privileges which had been accorded to intestate successions extended to testate; but probably the matter had better be dealt with in a Bill affecting the whole United Kingdom.