§ After Clause 24, insert the following new clause—
§ Amelioration of conditions qualifying Lord Chancellor's Legal Visitor for pension
§ (".—(1) Section 128 of the Supreme Court of Judicature (Consolidation) Act 1925 (which relates to the pension of certain officers) shall, 243 in its application to the retirement of a person, after the commencement of this Act, from the office of Lord Chancellor's Legal Visitor, have effect as if, in subsection (1)(c) thereof (which prohibits the grant of a superannuation allowance to an officer under the age of seventy-two years sinless he retires upon a medical certificate or has served fifteen years), for the words 'fifteen years' there were substituted the words 'ten years'.
§ (2) Any increase attributable to the foregoing subsection in the sums which, under section 118(2) of the said Act of 1925 or section 25(2) of the Administration of Justice (Pensions) Act 1950, are payable out of moneys provided by Parliament shall be paid out of moneys so provided.")
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, this is an Amendment to reduce from fifteen to ten years the period of service which enables the Lord Chancellor's Legal Visitor to retire permaturely on pension. The Lord Chancellor's Legal Visitor has to be a barrister or solicitor of considerable experience, and is usually in the fifties when he is appointed. He has a great deal of travelling to do. The Court of Protection relies on his reports. He may have to make 1,500 visits to mental patients in the course of a year, and may normally travel 16,000 miles. By the time he is 65 he may be feeling the strain of that and wishes to retire, but may be unable to do so with pension until he reaches the age of 70. The object of the Amendment is to enable him to retire at 65 with a proportionate pension. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That his House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(The Lord Chancellor.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.