SALARIES. (Hansard, 31 July 1897)

§ MR. GERALD BALFOUR

moved the following new clause in the place of Clause 13:— (1.) An annual sum equal to the salary attached to any judgeship which by or in pursuance of this Act is abolished or left vacant shall, in the case of a salary payable out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom, continue to be charged on and paid out of that fund or the growing produce thereof, and, in the case of a salary payable out of money provided by Parliament, continue to be paid out of money so provided, and shall in either case be carried by the Treasury to a separate account and be applied to such Irish purposes as Parliament may from time to time direct. (2.) The Treasury shall also at the end of each financial year out of money provided by Parliament carry to the same account a sum equal to the net savings which in the opinion of the Treasury have been effected during that year by the abolition or consolidation of offices in pursuance of this Act, and the sum so carried shall be applied to such purposes as aforesaid. He said the clause was intended to secure to Ireland not merely the direct payments that would result from the Bill, but also the indirect payments expected to result from the consolidation of offices. He explained on the Second Reading that he did not see his way to make this concession, because it was impossible to say what indirect savings would be effected. He had, however, been in communication with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and he thought this clause would meet the case. It would leave it to the Treasury to decide every year what the amount was. It was a very large concession, and it was to be clearly understood that it was not to be made a precedent.