§ Order for the Second Reading read.
§ THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Sir W. ROBSON,) South Shieldsmoved the Second Reading of this Bill, which, he said, had come down from the Lords. The object of the measure, he explained, was to enable the Privy Council and the Court of Appeal to receive the assistance of Judges who were available for the purpose without any creation of new Judges. The first clause would enable a Colonial Judge to act as assessor of the Judicial Committee on the hearing of appeals from a Colony. This applied only to cases where the services of such Judges happened to be available, and enabled the Privy Council to avail themselves of their services in proper cases. Then there were Indian Judges who were happily often in this country and retired Judges who had served in a High Court in British India, and whose assistance would be of great benefit to the Privy Council. The second section accordingly enabled His Majesty to direct that such Judges might be made members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. This applied only to those Judges who had already the distinction of being privy councillors. Another section provided that the Lord Chancellor might request any Judge of the High Court in England to sit as an additional Judge of the Court of Appeal.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."—(Sir W. Robson.)
1755§ LORD BALCARRESsaid he understood that under this Bill it would be possible for one of the assessors to be a Judge who had already adjudicated in a case.
§ SIR W. ROBSONsaid that Clause 4 referred to the Supreme Court of Judicature Act of 1875, and that provision would prevent what the hon. Member alluded to.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Bill read a second time, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House, for To-morrow.—(Sir. W. Robson.)