Written Answers To Questions
Friday, 17th April, 1953
Judges' Salaries And Allowances
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in HANSARD a table showing the salaries received by judges and the expenses allowed; on what date and to what extent these have varied since their inception; and to what extent these judges have to meet the cost of their postage, travel, secre-
| TABLE A—SALARIES | ||||||
| ENGLAND | ||||||
| High Court | ||||||
| — | 1825* | 1832 | 1851 | 1857 | 1873 | 1876 |
| Lord Chancellor | — | £10,000† | £10,000‡ | — | — | — |
| Lord of Appeal in Ordinary | — | — | — | — | — | £6,000 |
| Lord Chief Justice | £10,000 | — | £8,000§ | — | — | — |
| Master of the Rolls | £7,000 | — | £6,000 | — | — | — |
| President of the Probate Division | — | — | — | £5,000 | — | — |
| Lord Justice of Appeal | — | — | — | — | £5,000 | — |
| Puisne Judge | £5,500 | £5,000|| | — | — | — | — |
| * Until this date the Judges were remunerated partly by fees. | ||||||
| † Excludes salary of £4,000 as Speaker of House of Lords. | ||||||
| ‡ Includes salary of £4,000 as Speaker of House of Lords. | ||||||
| § Rate applied by agreement from 1832 although not made statutory until 1851. | ||||||
| || Applied to Judges appointed after 16th November, 1828. | ||||||
| County Courts | |||||||
| — | 1846 | 1852 | 1856 | 1888* | 1937 | 1952† | |
| Judge | … | Various rates, maximum £1,200 | Various rates, £l,200–£l,500 | £1,200 | £1,500 | £2,000 | £2,800 |
| * Between 1919 and 1937 the salaries attracted War Bonus (stabilised at £150). | |||||||
| † Operative from 1st July, 1951. Until this date fees were payable to County Court Judges sitting as Divorce Commissioners: fees are still payable if a County Court Judge sits as Commissioner of Assize. | |||||||
| SCOTLAND | |||
| Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary | |||
| — | 1839* | 1887 | |
| Lord President of Court of Session and Lord Justice General | … | £4,800 | £5,000 |
| Lord Justice Clerk | … | £4,500; | £4,800 |
| Lord of Council and Session and Lord Commissioner of Justiciary | … | £3,000 | £3,600 |
| * Date when functions of Judges assumed broadly their present form. | |||
| Land Court* | ||||||||
| — | 1912 | 1937 | 1952† | |||||
| Chairman | … | … | … | … | … | £2,000 | £2,200 | £2,700 |
| * Established under the Smallholders (Scotland) Act, 1911, to supersede the Crofters Commission. | ||||||||
| † Operative from 1st July, 1951. | ||||||||
tarial and living away from home expenses out of their salaries.
Changes in judicial salaries are shown in table A below. Changes in circuit and travelling allowances are given in table B below. These allowances are designed to meet the average cost of travelling and living away from home. Postage and secretarial expenses are met from public funds.
Sheriff Courts
| ||||||
| — | 1877* | 1911 | 1934 | 1937 | 1946 | 1952† |
| Whole-time Sheriffs-Principal | ||||||
| Lanarkshire | £2,000 | — | — | £2,400 | — | £2,900 |
| Lothians and Peebles (also including Chancery from 1938) | £1,800‡ | — | £1,953 | £2,200 | — | £2,700 |
| Sheriffs-Substitute | Rates from £500 to £1,400 | Rates from £700 to £1, 200 (Three Sheriffs retained existing salary of £1,400 on a personal basis) | Rates from £950 to £1, 550 (incl. consolidation of war bonus payable since 1919) | Rates from £1, 100 to £1, 750 | Rates from £1, 400 to £1, 900 (incl. consolidation of war bonus that had been payable since 1944 on salaries or up to £1, 500) | Rates from £1, 900 to £2, 400 |
*Year in which Sheriffs-Substitute became Crown appointees. | ||||||
| †Operative from 1st July, 1951. | ||||||
| ‡ Fixed at this sum in 1881. | ||||||
| NORTHERN IRELAND | ||||||
High Court
| ||||||
| — | Before 1926* | 1926 | 1952† | |||
| Lord Chief Justice | … | … | … | £5,000 | £4,500 | — |
| Judge of Appeal | … | … | … | £4,000 | £3,500 | — |
| Judge of the High Court | … | … | … | £3,500 | £3,000 | £3,500 |
* Salaries fixed for Judges of Supreme Court of Judicature in Ireland in 1877 and applied to the Judges of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland by the Supreme Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland) Order, 1921. | ||||||
| † Operative from 1st July, 1951. | ||||||
County Courts in Northern Ireland are not a Reserved Service.
| TABLE B—CIRCUIT AND TRAVELLING ALLOWANCES | ||||
| ENGLAND | ||||
High Court
| ||||
| Before 1869 | … | … | … | Actual expenses on winter and autumn assizes only. |
| 1869 | … | … | … | £7 10s. 0d. a day for each day's absence on winter and autumn assizes only.* |
| 1884 | … | … | … | 10s. 0d. a day for all assizes.† |
* Exclusive of travelling expenses of Judge, Clerks and suite. | ||||
| † Inclusive of travelling expenses of suite, but travelling expenses of Judge and his Clerk paid separately. | ||||
County Courts
For the last century at least, County Court Judges have received inclusive annual allowances designed to meet actual travelling and subsistence expenses which vary according to the circumstances of each circuit.
| SCOTLAND | ||
High Court of Justiciary
| ||
| Before 1887 | … | Fixed amounts for each circuit, varying from £50 to £340. |
| 1887 | … | No allowance. |
| 1952 | … | Actual travelling expenses and subsistence at £5 5s. 0d. a night or £2 2s. 0d. when the Judges do not stay overnight. |
Land Court
| … | Actual travelling expenses and subsistence at £2 2s. 0d. a night. |
Sheriff Courts
| … | Since 1952, inclusive annual allowances in respect of travelling expenses are payable to those Sheriffs-Substitute who incur such expenses in the discharge of their duties. Before 1952, allowances were paid only in a few cases where expenses were exceptionally heavy. No allowances are payable to Sheriffs-Principal. |
| NORTHERN IRELAND | ||||
High Court
| ||||
| Before 1925 | … | … | … | £150 for each assize. |
| 1925 | … | … | … | £125 for each Spring and Summer assize, £100 for each winter assize held outside Belfast. |
Until the passing of the Judicial Offices (Salaries, etc.) Act, 1952, the Lord Chief Justice was not entitled to a circuit allowance.