HC Deb 26 April 1910 vol 17 cc410-1W
Sir WILLIAM BULL

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it has been repeatedly affirmed that the judges of the mixed courts in Egypt are irremovable save for misconduct, and, if so, why this principle is not equally applied in regard to European judges in the native courts; whether he has any official information showing that placing judges of the Native courts (as in the case of Mr. John Selden Willmore, recently a judge in the Native Court of Appeal) on contract is prejudicial to the interests of justice, since any judge whose decisions give dissatisfaction to the Egyptian Government, or who is personally unpopular, is liable to have his services dispensed with at the termination of his contract; whether the Belgian judge who was appointed in the place of Judge Willmore was placed on contract; how many of the European judges in the Native courts other than English are serving and not serving on contract respectively; bow many of the English judges in the Native courts are serving and not serving on contract respectively; and, if he has not got the information, will he obtain it?

Sir E. GREY

The irremovability of Judges in the mixed courts, and its extent, are dealt with in Article 9, Title 1, Chapter 1 of the "Réglement d'Organisation Judi-ciaire pour les Procés Mixtes en Egypte." The nature of the work in the mixed courts and native courts respectively is so different as to render any comparison difficult. I am aware of the objections which have been put forward in certain quarters to the system under which the judges of the native courts in Egypt have been appointed. This question is at present under the consideration of the Egyptian Government with a view to its revision. I will obtain information as to the terms of the appointment of the Belgian judge and on the other points raised in the latter part of the hon. Member's question.