This Estimate shows a net sum of £53,710 as the total sum required for payment of the salaries and cost of living bonus of all the officers of the Courts functioning at the Castle and in the District Probate Registries. Of this total the sum of about £6,000 is appropriate to the Officers attached to the Chief Justice (Lunacy, Minor and other matters), a sum of practically £2,000 is appropriate to the Officers of the Supreme Court and the balance, £45,000 odd, is appropriate to the Officers of the High Court who are divided into groups corresponding to the several offices set up by the Court Officers Act, 1926.
The Estimate shows a decrease as compared with that of 1930-31 of £533, but owing to the amount of Appropriations-in-Aid being less by £300, the net decrease is £233. The decrease under the head of salaries, wages, etc., is accounted for by (1) the filling of vacancies by officers on lower salaries than their predecessors; (2) reduced provision for payment of fees to District Registrars by reason of the discontinuance of one of these posts, and (3) reduction of cost of living bonus. The difference in the amount of Appropriations-in-Aid is accounted for by the continued downward tendency shown in receipts from bankruptcy percentages.
During last year the District Registry at Tuam was abolished, which means a saving of probably close on £1,000 per annum to the State, but this saving is not apparent on the Estimate because the form it takes is that the fees formerly paid personally to the District Probate Registrar now come to the Exchequer by way of stamps attached to applications for Probate.