Appellate Jurisdiction (House of Lords) Bill,

ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES.

Two Deputy Speakers of the House of Lords for Judicial Business to be appointed. Tenure of Office; Sect. 1.

Qualification for Appointment of Deputy Speakers (Peers having held high Judicial Offices for Five Years); 2.

Salaries of Deputy Speakers [Proposed to be inserted in Committee]. Duties of Deputy Speakers; 3.

Retiring Pensions may be granted to Deputy Speakers [Proposed to be inserted in Committee].

Peer for Life may, if appointed Lord Chancellor or Deputy Speaker, sit and vote in the House of Lords; 4.

House of Lords may sit for disposing of Appeals during a Prorogation; 5.

The Right of the Crown to appoint other Deputy Speakers; 6.

A

BILL

INTITULED

An Act to make better Provision for the Discharge of the Appellate Jurisdiction of the House of Lords.

[Note.-The Clauses printed in Red Ink are proposed to be inserted in Committee.]

W

HEREAS it is expedient to secure the regular Attend- Preamble. ance in the House of Lords during the Hearing of Appeals and Writs of Error of an increased Number of Peers who have filled high Judicial Offices: Be it enacted by the Queen's 5 most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, as follows:

the House of

Judicial

Office.

I. It shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by Letters Patent under the Two Deputy Great Seal of the United Kingdom, to appoint Two Persons, qualified Speakers of 10 as herein-after mentioned, to be Deputy Speakers of the House of Lords for Lords to assist in the Judicial Business of the said House, and from Business to Time to Time as Vacancies shall occur by Death, Resignation, or be appointed. Removal, in like Manner to appoint One or Two other Person or Tenure of Persons qualified as aforesaid to be a Deputy Speaker or Deputy 15 Speakers of the said House for the Purpose aforesaid, so that the House may at all Times have the Assistance of Two such Deputy Speakers in the Judicial Business of the House; and every such Deputy Speaker shall hold his Office during good Behaviour: Provided always, that it shall be lawful for Her Majesty to remove any 20 such Deputy Speaker from his Office upon the Address of both Houses of Parliament.

Qualification

ment of

Deputy

Speakers
(Peers
having held
high Judicial

Offices for
Five Years).

II. No Person, not having succeeded to an Hereditary Peerage, shall for Appoint- be qualified to be appointed Deputy Speaker under this Act, unless Her Majesty shall have previously granted to him a Peerage for the Term of his Life, or for some greater Estate, nor unless he shall have held the Office of Lord Chancellor of Great Britain or Lord Chancellor of 5 Ireland, or shall have held for a Period of Five Years or upwards, or for Periods amounting together to Five Years or upwards, any One or more of the Judicial Offices following, viz., Master of the Rolls in England; Master of the Rolls in Ireland; Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal in Chancery; Vice Chancellor (in England); Judge in any of 10 the Superior Courts of Law at Westminster or in Dublin; Judge of the Court of Session in Scotland; Judge of the High Court of Admiralty of England; Judge of the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury; Judge of the Prerogative Court in Ireland.

There shall be payable to each such Deputy Speaker the 15 yearly Salary of Five thousand Pounds, or such a yearly Sum as, with any Pension, Retiring Allowance, or Compensation to which he may be entitled in respect of any Office formerly held by him, will make up a yearly Sum of Five thousand Pounds; and such Salary or yearly Sum shall be payable out of the Consolidated Fund of the 20 United Kingdom by quarterly Payments, free of all Deductions, except Income Tax, on the Fifth Day of January, the Fifth Day of April, the Fifth Day of July, and the Tenth Day of October in every Year, such Salary or yearly Sum nevertheless to grow due from Day to Day, and to be subject to Apportionment at the Commencement 25 and Termination thereof accordingly.

III. It shall be the Duty of the said Deputy Speakers, unless prevented by Illness or other sufficient Cause, to attend the House of Lords during the Hearing and Decision of Appeals and Writs of Error.

30

It shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, to grant to any Person holding the Office of a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords under this Act an Annuity for his Life, not exceeding Three thousand seven hundred and fifty Pounds, to commence immediately after his Re- 35 signation of such Office, such Annuity to be payable out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom, free from all Deductions whatsoever, except Income Tax, by quarterly Payments on the Fifth Day of January, the Fifth Day of April, the Fifth Day of July, and the Tenth Day of October in every Year, such Annuity nevertheless 40 to grow due from Day to Day, and to be subject to Apportionment at its Commencement and Termination accordingly: Provided always,

that