§ SIR F. DIXON-HARTLAND (Middlesex, Uxbridge)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been directed to the case of eleven remaining gentlemen who, prior to 1866, were appointed by the Accountant-General of the Court of Chancery as clerks in his office on the terms of an Act passed in the year 1812, under which their predecessors received pensions amounting to their full salaries, who have been informed that the Treasury are advised that, notwithstanding that the rights of these officers were expressly reserved by the Superannuation Acts of 1852 and 1866, the Treasury are precluded from awarding them pensions at the full rate, and are only able to grant them to the amount limited by the Act of 1866; whether his attention has been directed to the opinion of Sir Horace Davey to the effect that the view of the Treasury was not well founded; and, whether he is willing that the question should be referred to the law officers, in order that the officials in question may have an opportunity of submitting the opinion of Mr. A. Macmorran, Q.C., and Mr. William Graham, which has recently been taken, in which concur- 503 rence in the opinion of Sir Horace Davey is expressed
§ MR. HANBURYI am aware of the opinion given by Sir Horace Davey on the case, and that opinion was at the time brought to the notice of the Law Officers of the Crown, who advised that they saw no reason to modify the opinion which they had already expressed. The course suggested by my hon. friend has therefore already been adopted