§ MR. MEEHANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what arc the qualifications, conditions of service, and method of appointment of clerks of petty sessions in Ireland, and whether there is any examination or other test of qualification 945 applied to the candidates; and, if not, seeing that the salaries average about £120 per annum, and that nearly all appointments of public positions are conditional on the candidates passing a test examination, he will arrange that all appointments to the office of petty sessions clerk in Ireland shall be made only from candidates who have successfully passed a competitive examination open to all persons wishing to compete.
MR. BRYCEPetty sessions clerks must on appointment be between twenty-one and forty years of age, but the age limit is extended to fifty years in the case of persons who have filled certain specified positions affording a legal training. A clerk holds office during the pleasure of the magistrates of the district and of the Lord-Lieutenant. The election of clerks is by statute vested in the magistrates, and the appointment is subject to the approval of the Lord-Lieutenant. A clerk after election is required to pass a qualifying examination in literary and technical subjects, including, in the case of the larger districts, the elementary principles of criminal law. The salary depends on the size of the district and the length of service of the clerk, the average initial salary being about £70. As these appointments are governed by statute, there is no power to throw them open to competitive examination. I understand that the present system has worked well.