HL Deb 18 March 1919 vol 33 cc725-6

Debate on the Motion for the Second Reading resumed (according to Order)

THE EARL OF CRAWFORD

My Lords, this Bill appears to be somewhat technical in character. It proposes to make a change in the law which I think is probably well justified. Its object is to enable the Lord Chancellor of Ireland to make orders to fix the fees which are payable to petty sessional summons servers and the fees payable to County Court process servers. The fact is that the fees at present are so small that it is impossible to get the work of serving summonses accomplished, and when a vacancy occurs in that important office no successor can be found at the present scale of emoluments. A petty sessional summons server receives 6d. for any summons he serves up to a distance of four miles from the Court, and no allowance is made for his return journey. It must be admitted that that fee is parsimonious. It is the same in the case of the County Court process where the server gets 6d. if only one summons is served, but if there is more than one defendant in the house he gets ls. Under this Bill the fees can be adjusted. No figure is laid down in the clauses of the Bill, the responsibility for choosing a proper sum being left to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. I beg to move.

Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(The Earl of Crawford).

On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.