I beg to move:—
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Go ndeontar Suim Bhreise ná raghaidh that Dhá Chéad agus Aon Phúnt Fichead chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na blíana dar críoch an 31adh Mártá, 1925, mar gheall ar na CostaisíEilithe Dlí a bhaineas le Cúisithe Coiriúla agus mar gheall ar Eilithe Dlí, maraon le Deontas Faoisimh i gcóir Costaisí Airithe is iníoctha amach as rátaí áitiúla do réir Reachta. |
That a Supplementary Sum not ex ceeding Two Hundred and Twenty one pounds be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending the 31st March, 1925, for the Law Charges, Expenses of Criminal Pro secutions and for Law Charges including a Grant in Relief of certain expenses payable by Statute out of local rates. |
Taking the items that are set out on the estimates (a) is due really to heavy drafting work. It was necessary to get assistance for certain drafting work. For instance, a special man had to be brought in to do the draft of the Courts of Justice Bill. The draughtsman's office was so congested that it was impossible to undertake the work of that heavy Bill. There was other work also to be done in the nature of drafting. The charge under (b) arises from the fact that certain people who acted as State Solicitors in a previous year, temporarily in certain counties, were not paid during the past year. There was a solicitor in Clare and a solicitor in County Longford, and it was not found possible to pay them during the past financial year. A few of the under-sheriffs are in the same category. One of the under-sheriffs had not completed his bond in time and he could not be paid before his bond was completed. It was not found possible to pay him during the last financial year. Assistant under-sheriffs are appointed under the Enforcement of Law (Occasional Powers) Act. There are six under-sheriffs and none of them was appointed before the 1st of January. They are being paid at the rate of £500 per annum. Half of their salaries will be recouped by the counties in the coming financial year. Bailiffs are also appointed under the Enforcement of Law (Occasional Powers) Act.
There are about 60 of these bailiffs employed at the present time. The ordinary remuneration is one pound per week. In certain special cases remuneration in excess of that is paid. Bailiffs, of course, in addition to payment of salary get certain fees. Part of the cost of the bailiffs will be compensated for by the receipt of a percentage amounting to one shilling in the pound, under Section 14, sub-section (1) of the Act, where the sum leviable is not paid to the under-sheriff within one month after the issue of the decree.
Fees to counsel, which is the biggest item of all, arises from the fact that there have been heavy arrears of prosecutions which had to be dealt with during the present financial year. Not only were men who had been in custody for a long time brought to trial but many whom it had been found impossible to apprehend previously were taken into custody and brought to trial, and the expenses of prosecutions at the Central Criminal Court were more costly possibly than down the country. Counsel of a higher standing had to be employed for the purpose of conducting these prosecutions. This heavy work in the nature of criminal prosecutions is of a temporary character. I think the arrears have been pretty well wiped out.