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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Feb 1926

Vol. 14 No. 10

SUPPLEMENTARY AND ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES. - VOTE 25—CIRCUIT COURT OFFICERS.

I move:—

Go ndeontar suim bhreise, ná raghaidh thar £10, chun íoctha an mhuirir a thiocfidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1926, chun Tuarastail agus Liúntaisí agus Costaisí Oifigeacha iomdha na Cúirte Cuarda, Bonus do Chléirigh na Coróineach agus na Síochána agus Costaisí Athfhéachainte.

That a supplementary sum, not exceeding £10, be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1926, for the salaries, allowances and expenses of various Circuit Court Officers, bonus to Clerks of the Crown and Peace, and the expenses of revision.

This Estimate has been made necessary by the appointment of two Assistant Circuit Court Judges. It is, perhaps, anomalous that I should be defending this. In the coming year this particular Estimate will be accounted for by the Department of Justice and will be dealt with by the Minister for Justice. As the original Estimate was accounted for by the Department of Finance this year, the supplementary Estimate must also be accounted for by that Department. It was found that considerable Circuit Court arrears had accumulated in the Dublin City and County District and in the Midland District. Accordingly, an Assistant Circuit Court Judge was appointed for the Dublin District on the 6th June, 1925. He will continue to act until the arrears have been cleared off. I believe that in disposing of these arrears a great deal of progress has been made. It is not possible yet to fix a date when the services of the Assistant Court Judge will no longer be necessary.

In the Midland District the Assistant Circuit Court Judge was appointed on the 19th October. It is anticipated that in that district the arrears of work will be wiped off about the end of the financial year. The Assistant Circuit Court Judges are being paid at the same rate as Circuit Court Judges—£1,700 a year. In one case the Assistant Circuit Court Judge is a retired County Court Judge, and the actual cost to the State is only £300, because his pension is suspended while he is acting as an Assistant Court Judge.

Question put and agreed to.
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