§ MR. ANGUS SUTHERLAND (Sutherland)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether his attention has been called to the fact that at a meeting of the Standing Joint Committee of the County Council and Commissioners of Supply of the County of Sutherland, as a Police 1435 Committee, held at Dornoch on the 9th inst., the Sheriff of the county was represented by an honorary Sheriff Substitute, while the only Sheriff Substitute of the county was also present and took part in the proceedings; whether all or any of the duties devolved upon the Sheriff of a county by "The Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1889," may, in his absence, be legally discharged by an honorary Sheriff Substitute; and whether "Sheriff," in the definition section of the Act, includes honorary Sheriff Substitute?
§ *MR. J. P. B. ROBERTSONI believe it is the case that the Sheriff of the County of Sutherland nominated one of his honorary substitutes to represent him on the Standing Joint Committee, the salaried Sheriff Substitute being already a member of that Committee in another capacity. The duty of representing the Sheriff on the Standing Joint Committee may, in my opinion, be discharged by an honorary Sheriff Substitute, and I also consider that the definition of Sheriff in the Local Government Act includes an honorary as well as a salaried Sheriff Substitute, although in cases where the services of the salaried Substitute can be obtained it is natural that he should be nominated.