HL Deb 20 August 1907 vol 181 cc431-2

Order of the Day for Second Reading read.

LORD DENMAN

This is a Bill to carry out certain provisions outlined in the Labourers (Ireland) Act, which I had the honour of introducing last year. It is not a very important or contentious measure, and I think I shall be best studying the convenience of the House if I do not at this hour go into the details of it.

LORD NEWTON

What is the Bill about?

LORD DENMAN

I shall be pleased to go into the details, if the noble Lord desires. It is a Bill to reduce the number of Judges of the King's Bench of the High Court of Justice in Ireland from ten to eight. It is said that this number will be ample for the work of the King's Bench Division in Ireland. Clause 2 of the Bill says that the existing salary of the Lord Chancellor, which is £8,000 a year, and is fixed by Section 1 of the Lord-Lieutenant's and Lord Chancellor's Salaries Act of 1832, will be reduced by £2,000 a year. It is not proposed to reduce the pension of the office, which is £4,000 a year. It will remain at the same proportion of two-thirds of the salary as is the case with all the Judges in Ireland. Clause 3 states that the effect of the Bill will be to liberate the sum of £2,000 annually, and on the occurrence of the next two vacancies in the King's Bench Division an additional annual saving will be made of £3,500. This will make a total sum of £9,000 a year, and, in accordance with the provisions of the Labourers Act of Ireland—the details of which, I have no doubt the noble Lord remembers—it will be devoted to the financial provisions of that Act, and will assist in building labourers cottages in Ireland. Those are the provisions of the Bill, and I hope I have given Lord Newton sufficient details, and that he will now allow it to be read a second time.

Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."

LORD NEWTON

I am not going to oppose the Bill, but I consider the noble Lord and the House ought to be grateful to me for having extracted valuable information. It is evidently an important measure which was going to pass without any comment at all.

On Question, Motion agreed to.

Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday next.