§ Sir JOHN LONSDALEasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, as regards insurance under the National Health Insurance Act, any distinction is drawn between criers of the Supreme Court and criers or 217W tipstaves of the judges of the High Court; if the latter officials are insured, and if the Treasury pays the employer's contribution in these cases; and, if there be any distinction between criers or tipstaves of the judges of the High Court and the crier of the Recorder's Court in Belfast, will he state the grounds for such distinction and why the Treasury pays in the one case and seeks to make the Recorder of Belfast personally liable in the other case?
§ Mr. MONTAGUMy hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. Criers of the Supreme Court and criers of the High Court in Ireland are pensionable officers paid out of public funds and not liable to be insured under the National Health Insurance Acts. Tipstaves, on the other hand, and criers of County Courts, including the Recorder's Court at Belfast, are not pensionable officers and are insurable persons; and the employer is responsible for the employer's contribution in respect of them. In the case of the tipstaves, whose salaries are paid out of public funds, the employer's contribution is properly borne on the Vote for the Supreme Court of Judicature and other legal departments in Ireland In the case of County Court criers, however, who are not paid from public funds, the Irish Insurance Commissioners are of opinion that the County Court judge is the employer and accordingly liable for the contribution. This view is disputed by the Recorder at Belfast, but as he has taken no steps to submit the matter formally to the Commissioners, from whose decision it would be open to him to appeal to the County Court and ultimately to the High Court, the Commissioners must press for compliance with their interpretation of the provisions of the Acts.