§ Mr. Roy Hughesasked the Attorney-General if he has authorised the advertisements in the legal Press for the appointment of solicitors as chairmen of industrial tribunals at a salary of £6,240 or a part-time daily fee of £22 in anticipation of the proposed Industrial Relations Bill becoming law; how many of such appointments are to be made; and what the total cost will be.
The Attorney-GeneralMy noble Friend the Lord Chancellor is responsible for the appointment of the existing legally qualified chairmen of industrial tribunals in England and Wales, who may be either barristers or solicitors. My noble Friend invited the editor of theLaw Society's Gazette to publish the advertisement which appeared on 19th November, 1970. The salaries and fees quoted are those currently payable.
The number of additional appointments made will depend on whether and in what form the present proposals are enacted by Parliament, and on the number of vacancies naturally occurring in the existing panel. It is estimated that if the Bill now before Parliament is enacted in its present form, some 60 additional full-time or a correspondingly greater number of part-time appointments, including appointments to Scottish tribunals, will be required at a cost of about £400,000 annually.