CLERKS OF SESSION (SCOTLAND) BILL. (Hansard, 17 February 1913)

§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR

My Lords, this is a very simple Bill. The Court of Session in Scotland consists of two Divisions, and in each of these Divisions there is a Principal Clerk, and they have under them deputy and ordinary clerks. The business of the Principal Clerks is not unlike that of the Registrar in the English Court of Chancery, but in reality they have comparatively little to do. The functions are reduced to superintending the general business of the Clerks of Quarter Session. His Majesty's Government propose to reduce the number of Principal Clerks to one from and after the occurrence of a vacancy in the office. Instead of filling up the next vacancy His Majesty's Government have come to the conclusion that as things are the work would be more advantageously done by one Principal Clerk instead of two. We propose to allow the existing holders of the office to continue as they are at present, but we propose when the next vacancy occurs to leave it unfilled and continue with only one Principal Clerk of session, and we think that this reduction will be conducive to the public benefit rather than militate against it. In those circumstances I ask your Lordships to read the Bill a second time.