§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause stand part of the Bill."
§ Mr. PRINGLEThis Clause relates to Judges. The question has been raised in Ireland regarding officials of the Courts who are not technically Civil servants, and it is held that those officials are not protected by this Bill. I wish to ask the learned Attorney-General what is the position of the officials of the various Courts in Ireland?
§ Sir D. HOGGIn this Bill we have made provision with regard to the Judges 569 and the Land Commissioners. The reason why we have made provision for them and for nobody else is that they are people whose salaries are charged on the Consolidated Fund. They, therefore, have a contract in this country, and however much it may be that we have protected their position by arranging that the Free State shall compensate them, as we have under Article 10 of the Treaty, they technically have a right to look to us first. We have provided that any compensation recovered from the Free State goes in reduction of our liability under this provision. The other officials to whom the lion Member refers are not in the same category, and, with regard to those who are not on the Consolidated Fund, their compensation is assessed in the same way as under the Act of 1920, and there is an express Clause in the Treaty, under Article 10, that they shall be paid by the Irish Free Stats on terms equally favourable.