HC Deb 17 April 1953 vol 514 cc27-31W
Mr. Lewis

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in HANSARD a table showing the salaries received by judges and the expenses allowed; on what date and to what extent these have varied since their inception; and to what extent these judges have to meet the cost of their postage, travel, secre-

TABLE A—SALARIES
ENGLAND
High Court
1825* 1832 1851 1857 1873 1876
Lord Chancellor £10,000† £10,000‡
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary £6,000
Lord Chief Justice £10,000 £8,000§
Master of the Rolls £7,000 £6,000
President of the Probate Division £5,000
Lord Justice of Appeal £5,000
Puisne Judge £5,500 £5,000||
* Until this date the Judges were remunerated partly by fees.
† Excludes salary of £4,000 as Speaker of House of Lords.
‡ Includes salary of £4,000 as Speaker of House of Lords.
§ Rate applied by agreement from 1832 although not made statutory until 1851.
|| Applied to Judges appointed after 16th November, 1828.
County Courts
1846 1852 1856 1888* 1937 1952†
Judge Various rates, maximum £1,200 Various rates, £l,200–£l,500 £1,200 £1,500 £2,000 £2,800
* Between 1919 and 1937 the salaries attracted War Bonus (stabilised at £150).
† Operative from 1st July, 1951. Until this date fees were payable to County Court Judges sitting as Divorce Commissioners: fees are still payable if a County Court Judge sits as Commissioner of Assize.
SCOTLAND
Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary
1839* 1887
Lord President of Court of Session and Lord Justice General £4,800 £5,000
Lord Justice Clerk £4,500; £4,800
Lord of Council and Session and Lord Commissioner of Justiciary £3,000 £3,600
* Date when functions of Judges assumed broadly their present form.
Land Court*
1912 1937 1952†
Chairman £2,000 £2,200 £2,700
* Established under the Smallholders (Scotland) Act, 1911, to supersede the Crofters Commission.
† Operative from 1st July, 1951.

tarial and living away from home expenses out of their salaries.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Changes in judicial salaries are shown in table A below. Changes in circuit and travelling allowances are given in table B below. These allowances are designed to meet the average cost of travelling and living away from home. Postage and secretarial expenses are met from public funds.

Sheriff Courts
1877* 1911 1934 1937 1946 1952†
Whole-time Sheriffs-Principal
Lanarkshire £2,000 £2,400 £2,900
Lothians and Peebles (also including Chancery from 1938) £1,800‡ £1,953 £2,200 £2,700
Sheriffs-Substitute Rates from £500 to £1,400 Rates from £700 to £1, 200 (Three Sheriffs retained existing salary of £1,400 on a personal basis) Rates from £950 to £1, 550 (incl. consolidation of war bonus payable since 1919) Rates from £1, 100 to £1, 750 Rates from £1, 400 to £1, 900 (incl. consolidation of war bonus that had been payable since 1944 on salaries or up to £1, 500) Rates from £1, 900 to £2, 400
*Year in which Sheriffs-Substitute became Crown appointees.
†Operative from 1st July, 1951.
‡ Fixed at this sum in 1881.
NORTHERN IRELAND
High Court
Before 1926* 1926 1952†
Lord Chief Justice £5,000 £4,500
Judge of Appeal £4,000 £3,500
Judge of the High Court £3,500 £3,000 £3,500
* Salaries fixed for Judges of Supreme Court of Judicature in Ireland in 1877 and applied to the Judges of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland by the Supreme Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland) Order, 1921.
† Operative from 1st July, 1951.

County Courts in Northern Ireland are not a Reserved Service.

TABLE B—CIRCUIT AND TRAVELLING ALLOWANCES
ENGLAND
High Court
Before 1869 Actual expenses on winter and autumn assizes only.
1869 £7 10s. 0d. a day for each day's absence on winter and autumn assizes only.*
1884 10s. 0d. a day for all assizes.†
* Exclusive of travelling expenses of Judge, Clerks and suite.
† Inclusive of travelling expenses of suite, but travelling expenses of Judge and his Clerk paid separately.

County Courts

For the last century at least, County Court Judges have received inclusive annual allowances designed to meet actual travelling and subsistence expenses which vary according to the circumstances of each circuit.

SCOTLAND
High Court of Justiciary
Before 1887 Fixed amounts for each circuit, varying from £50 to £340.
1887 No allowance.
1952 Actual travelling expenses and subsistence at £5 5s. 0d. a night or £2 2s. 0d. when the Judges do not stay overnight.
Land Court Actual travelling expenses and subsistence at £2 2s. 0d. a night.
Sheriff Courts Since 1952, inclusive annual allowances in respect of travelling expenses are payable to those Sheriffs-Substitute who incur such expenses in the discharge of their duties. Before 1952, allowances were paid only in a few cases where expenses were exceptionally heavy. No allowances are payable to Sheriffs-Principal.

NORTHERN IRELAND
High Court
Before 1925 £150 for each assize.
1925 £125 for each Spring and Summer assize, £100 for each winter assize held outside Belfast.

Until the passing of the Judicial Offices (Salaries, etc.) Act, 1952, the Lord Chief Justice was not entitled to a circuit allowance.