§ The Lord Chancellor may pay, out of moneys provided by Parliament, to or in respect of any person who suffers loss of employment in consequence of the abolition of the Commission and as to whom the Lord Chancellor, with the approval of the Treasury, determines that such provision should be made, such pension as he may so determine.—[The Attorney-General.]
§ Brought up, and read the First time.]
§ 7.9 p.m.
§ The Attorney-General (Sir Hartley Shawcross)I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."
The Committee will remember that on the Second Reading of the Bill I undertook to put down, in Committee, a new Clause providing for the payment of a pension to the last surviving member of the Court which this Bill will abolish. The Committee will remember that that gentleman is Lord Maenan, to whom I venture respectfully to refer as having a remarkably long record of public service in the courts of this country and in other fields. I am quite certain that the Committee would desire that on his relinquishing his present position—one of a number of judicial and other positions that he has held—he should receive an appropriate pension. The charge upon the State is not likely to be a very heavy one because of circumstances which will be apparent to the Committee, but I am quite certain that it would be the desire of the Committee to make sure that provision was made, and that that provision should not be ungenerous.
§ Mr. Peter Thorneycroft (Monmouth)I rise to welcome this new Clause. On the Second Reading, to which the right hon. and learned Gentleman has referred, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for West Derby (Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe) also paid tribute to the work of this last surviving member of the Railway and Canal Commission. We welcome the Clause as a valuable addition to the Bill, and we hope that Lord 112 Maenan will be able to take full advantage of it.
§ Mr. Oliver Stanley (Bristol, West)As an old member of the northern circuit, I feel that I must say how glad I am that the right hon. and learned Gentleman has moved this new Clause. Anyone who has practised on that circuit knows the immense services rendered in a judicial capacity by Lord Maenan, and must feel glad that those services are being recognised in this House.
§ Clause read a Second time and added to the Bill.
§ Schedule agreed to.
§ Bill reported, with an Amendment; as amended considered; read the Third time, and passed with an Amendment.