§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Clause 1 stand part of the Bill."
MR. O'BRIENasked whether the rights of the officers, as they stood under 1335 the present Act, in respect to their superannuation allowances, would be in any way altered for the worse by the provisions of this Bill?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. PORTER)said, the Bill did not precisely alter the position of any of the officers. It had been introduced for one purpose. It had been found that the Act of 1877 did not cover the cases of officers who, at the time of retiring, happened to be serving in different counties. This clause was being substituted for the Act of 1877, and to bring that Act in accord with the English Act. It was, therefore, purely an enabling Act, and did not, in the slightest degree, affect the status or the amount of pension of any of the officers.
MR. O'BRIENsaid, there was some fear among the old officers that the Bill would destroy their right to superannuation under the Acts of 1873 and 1877, which allowed a superannuation of two-thirds of their yearly salary and emoluments. That was why he had asked these questions; and he was glad to find that that was not the case, and that this Bill sought to bring all without distinction under the Act of 1859.
§ Clause agreed to.
§ Clause 2 agreed to.
§ House resumed.
§ Bill reported, without Amendment; to be read the third time To-morrow, at Two of the clock.