§ Mr. T. GRIFFITHSasked the Secretary of State for India why the India Office, in Denning v. Secretary of State for India, instructed an outside firm of solicitors, who were not official solicitors in the sense of being Government employés; and whether this course resulted in a needless additional cost in resisting the plaintiff's claim?
§ Mr. MONTAGUIt would be necessary to increase the India Office legal staff to enable it to conduct cases in the High Court, but the number of such cases in which the Office is concerned is so small that the increase would not be justified, and it is more economical to employ outside solicitors to deal with any which occur. Moreover, the majority of cases are concerned with technical subjects, such as patents, in which it would, in any case, be necessary to employ firms specially qualified to deal with them. The 281W answer to the second part of the question is, therefore, in the negative.