HC Deb 01 December 1893 vol 19 cc257-8
MR. R. WALLACE (Edinburgh, E.)

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether the statutory work of the Sasines Office in Edinburgh has been and is greatly in arrear, due to increase of business, work expended on the search sheet, diminution of staff, increased amount of collating exacted from the commissioned staff, or to what cause or causes; whether the search sheet is any part of the statutory duty of the office, and under what authority it is imposed; whether the search sheet is maintained at a loss, and what loss, to the Revenue; whether, as dispensing with the search sheet would enable the arrears of statutory business to be in great part overtaken, there is any sufficient reason for not dispensing with it; whether and what grants have been made by the Treasury for overtaking the arrears of business; whether such arrears could be in great part met, and such grants saved, by establishing a seven hours' day in the Sasines Offices, as in other branches of the Civil Service; and whether there is any valid reason against a seven hours' day in the Sasines Department?

THE SECRETARY FOB SCOTLAND (Sir G. TREVELYAN,) Glasgow, Bridgeton

The work of the Sasines Office performed by the commissioned staff has not been, and is not, in arrear. The process of engrossing the writs in the register volumes by the writing staff has this autumn been slightly in arrear of former years, owing to the greater number of these writs—the largest in the history of the Register House—but no congestion whatever has taken place. The search sheet is not a statutory duty. It was imposed under Treasury sanction at the request of the legal profession, after long inquiry by separate Committees of the Judges of the Court of Session and other Legal Bodies in Scotland. The search sheet is not maintained at a loss. There is no arrear in the statutory business. The search sheet has proved of such value in the process of accurate and skilful registration that it could not be dispensed with. The Treasury allows a grant of £600 to assist in overtaking the pressure of work at the terms of Whit Sunday and Martinmas. This sum is expended partly in paying certain engrossing clerks for drafting minutes and partly in paying the commissioned staff for overtime—mainly an evening attendance of two hours. This grant would be as essential if the seven hours were introduced as at present. The reason for not applying the seven hours to the Sasine Office is that the work of the Office only presses at the term time. During the other periods of the year a six hours' attendance is sufficient. The system in use is more efficacious in overtaking the work at the terms than the introduction of seven hours throughout the year. It is also a more economical arrangement.