§ MR. POWELL WILLIAMS (Birmingham, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury what fees in addition to salary are payable to the Solicitor General, under the new system recently introduced, in connection with the prosecution of Bottomley and others at the last Old Bailey Sessions; and how the amount of such fees compares with the amount that would have been payable under the former system?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir J. T. HIBBERT,) OldhamThe Solicitor General's fees in the Hansard Union prosecution amount to about £1,650. I am informed that in this particular case the same, or very nearly the same, amount of fees would have been payable under the old as under the new arrangement.
§ MR. POWELL WILLIAMSTs it not the fact that there is a considerable increase in the amount of the fees payable under the new system over what was payable under the old system?
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTThere are fees payable under the new system which were not payable under the old system; but that point does not arise in this case.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOUR (Leeds, Central)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury what is the total amount of the costs, charges, and expenses incurred in the recent prosecution of Sir Henry Isaacs, Mr. Horatio bottomley, and others, in connection with the affairs of the Company known as the Hansard Publishing Union, Limited; and out of what Vote such costs, charges, and expenses will be paid?
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTThe exact amount of the costs cannot yet be stated; but they are estimated to amount to about £6,200, and will be paid from the Vote for Law Charges.
§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)Is the Treasury in a position to certify the costs of any particular trial in England or Ireland?
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTI cannot answer that question without notice.