§ 104. Mr. WATTasked the Lord Advocate whether any vacancies occurred either by death or otherwise among Court of Session clerks during the last year; if so, how many, and were these vacancies filled by promotions from within or by importations from without; and, if the latter, will he say who were appointed and what positions they formerly held, and what were the qualifications for their new posts which were not possessed by those who had long been engaged in Court of Session work?
§ The LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. Munro)Two depute and one assistant clerk of Session have died during the past year. One of the vacancies in the office of depute clerk and the vacancy in the office of assistant clerk thus created were filled by the promotion of the ordinary or assistant clerk in the First Division of the Court of 1327 Session, and of the ordinary clerk in the Bill Chamber respectively. The vacancy created by the first-mentioned promotion was filled by the appointment of Mr. R. A. Hannah. Mr. Hannah for years held a responsible position in a legal office in Edinburgh and had acquired an intimate knowledge of Court procedure and practice. The office of ordinary clerk in the Bill Chamber is at present vacant. The remaining vacancy in the office of depute clerk was filled by the appointment of Mr. John Smart, formerly clerk to the Lord Advocate. With respect to this appointment and to the last part of my hon. and learned Friend's question, I beg to refer him to the Report of the Departmental Committee on Minor Legal Appointments.
§ Mr. MUNROI may remind the hon. and learned Member that the Committee to which I have referred with definite clearness, singled out Lord Advocate's clerks for preferential treatment. It is quite true my learned Friend differed from the Report of the Committee, but he can hardly expect me to follow his dissentient views rather than the Report of the Majority.