All I want to say is that the present arrangement is that the 1945 Act applies except in respect of a few who were appointed before that Act. Under the 1945 Act, the provision is that there is a pension of one-sixth of the salary for the first ten years service, together with one fortieth for each year in excess of ten up to a maximum of two-thirds after 30 years service. The provisions of the legislation at the present mean that a county registrar, unless he was appointed prior to his 35 birthday, cannot have full service because he is obliged to retire at 65. That, I think, applies to almost all the county registrars, with the possible exception of six or seven so that of the balance, which I understand is 25 or 26 county registrars, none of them will have full service because, owing to the nature of the appointment, they were appointed after the age of 35. Most of them were 40 or upwards.
I suggest that the Minister should consider introducing an amendment because, as the Ceann Comhairle rightly pointed out, it is not permissible for a Deputy to introduce an amendment which involves a charge on public funds. I suggest that the same terms as are provided in the 1956 Courts of Justice Acts in respect of district justices should apply in respect of county registrars.
The office of county registrar is one which requires special qualifications. It is a responsible post and the person appointed to it must be a solicitor of a certain number of years standing, eight years being the minimum. Normally, the person appointed has more than the minimum service. In addition to being the county registrar, he acts as returning officer in Dáil elections; he is registrar of titles and, in respect of circuit court work, I understand he does the work of three comparable officials of the High Court, Examiner, Accountant and Taxing Master. He also has to compile the Voters List and Register and he adjudicates on claims and objections to the Register. Also, in respect of workman's compensation, he has the onerous duty of adjudicating on the adequacy of compensation by lump sum agreement.
District justices were formerly at a similar disadvantage because in their case they were not normally appointed until they had reached 40 years of age and consequently with retirement at 65 could not complete 30 years service. I suggest and I believe that there would be support for the introduction of such an amendment, that the same terms should apply in respect of county registrars as apply at present to district justices. Very few county registrars can qualify for full pension. In fact, there is at least one case of a county registrar resigning from his post in order to take up a position as district justice. Section 8 of the Courts of Justice Acts, 1953 reduced the qualifying period for district justices from 30 years to 20 years for full pension. The Minister might introduce a similar amendment on Report Stage to meet this situation. County registrars are not entitled to certain terms which higher civil servants, or perhaps all civil servants, get in respect of children's allowances and so on. Consequently, a more equitable arrangement would appear to be one comparable with that operating for district justices.