§ Mr. McGOVERNasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware of the fact that sheriff officers in Glasgow are guilty of defrauding poor persons who are summoned to the courts for debt by imposing higher charges for expenses than they are legally entitled to; and whether he will inquire as to whether it is possible to issue a printed decree of the court to each defender informing them of the decision and amount of expenses awarded?
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§ Sir G. COLLINSOn the information before me, I have no reason to believe that sheriff officers in Glasgow charge poor persons more than they are entitled to for expenses, but if the hon. Member will furnish me with particulars of my cases which he has in mind, I shall be glad to have them investigated. The suggestion in the second part of the question presents practical difficulties, and would not appear to be necessary, In small debt cases the scale of expenses that may be charged is shown in the copy summons served on the defender, and details of the expenses awarded are contained in the decree, which can always be seen by the defender.